I am always under pressure: Russell tells wife

Kolkata, April 29 (IANS) Andre Russell, who came out with yet another match-winning performance as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture, said he is always under pressure as he wants his fans to enjoy and be happy.

Russell's 40-ball 80 helped KKR sign off their home run at the Eden Gardens on a winning note as they defeated old nemesis MI by 34 runs on Sunday.

During the course of his innings, Russell smashed eight sixes and six boundaries to help his side break snap a six-match losing streak and take their points tally to 10 points from 12 matches.

In a candid chat with his wife Jassym for IPLT20.com, Russell, who also turned 31 on Sunday, said he always feels pressure before he walks out to bat as his ultimate aim is to impress his wife and also make sure the KKR fans return home happy.

"It was a special night for me as well. It's my birthday. I always feel pressure because I want to make sure the fans are happy and I want to impress my beautiful wife (with) every match," Russell told Jassym.

Asked about his emotions about playing their last match at home this season, the West Indian said: "It's an emotional feeling. It was the last game of the season in Kolkata. We knew that we had to leave the fans who have been giving us great support over the last six days with a bang. We surely did, won by 34 runs."

Russell has so far hit 50 sixes in IPL 2019. When he asked about his wife how she felt about the knock, Jassym said she always knew that Russell was going to perform.

"It felt good. I knew you were going to do that because today is the last match in this ground (Eden Gardens). I expected that from you. I really had my heart in my hands when you were hitting those big sixes," Jassym said.

With the win, KKR have kept their playoff chances alive. They need to win the remaining two fixtures in order to finish in the top four. They, however, would also hope for favourable results from other matches to make it to the playoffs.