Andre Russell claims his performance in 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal against India as his best moment in International Cricket

Overview

• Andre Russell announced his retirement from International Cricket, following the second T20I against Australia
• Russell was a part of the West Indian team that won the T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2016, respectively
• He rated his 43*(20) against India in the Semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2016 as his best performance in International Cricket

Andre Russell announced his retirement from international cricket and confirmed that his appearance in the second T20I against Australia will be his last in the national colors. The star player was an integral part of the West Indian side in some of the major tournaments in Limited Overs formats. Especially in T20Is, he won two World Cups with the Carribean side.

After the announcement of his retirement, Russell was interviewed by the West Indian Cricket, where he claimed his favorite moment in International cricket was winning the match for his side in the Semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2016 against India at the Wankhede Stadium with his 43*(20), which helped them to play the final.

"Definitely [my best moment was] the 2016 World Cup, that semi-final game against India where I brought the team home, me and Lendl Simmons, and obviously the start that we got from the other batters," Russell told the Cricket West Indies in the interview.

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The star player noted the pressure facing India in their backyard on a good wicket. However, he was confident of getting the job done, given the batters who were to come after him. Russell was glad that he ensured the West Indies won the game to enter the final.

"Chasing 190-plus in that semi-final in India, with the crowd supporting India only, that was already a bit of pressure, but the wicket was a very good wicket, so the confidence that we had in the changing room and the batters that were left to come, it gave me the freedom and the confidence to go out and play the role that I did," Russell added.

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"I've done well enough to actually say, yes, that's it for me towards international cricket" - Andre Russell

Russell was grateful for the opportunity he got to represent the West Indies in International cricket. He claimed winning the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cups were special and recalled the good moments he had in those campaigns with his fellow teammates.

"Obviously, two World Cups, it's just a different emotion. You sleep, you wake up [on the morning after the final], and you realise you've only been sleeping for two hours, but you feel well-rested because you just want to see what's going on, on the internet, you want to see all of those memories and all of those good comments," Russell added.

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The 37-year-old claimed he got emotional when fans spoke high of him and felt bad for him announcing his retirement. However, he stuck to the belief that he was done from international cricket and the focus was to continue playing in the T20 leagues.

"By just seeing the [social media] posts and seeing stuff going around on the internet, I get a bit emotional, to be honest, but, decision already made, and I think I've done well enough to actually say, yes, that's it for me towards international cricket," the West Indian concluded.