Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell is seen throughout a apply session forward of the IPL match towards Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in Bengaluru on March 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Okay. Murali Kumar
South African-born Namibian cricketer David Wiese created a stir when he acknowledged that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit practices a “militant” strategy. This didn’t go down nicely with abroad gamers within the franchise, Wiese (a former KKR participant) argued on the ‘Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer’ podcast.
KKR’s Jamaican all-rounder Andre Russell, nevertheless, doesn’t agree with Wiese’s view. Russell defined that it’s the responsibility of gamers to adapt to a brand new coach, not the opposite manner round.
“When you are working with a coach for the first time, you have to make sure that you adjust to their philosophy. There have to be rules; there have to be certain things all players have to do as professionals. We don’t complain. We just get to work and try and do the best for this franchise. He has been doing an amazing job, and with Gautam (Gambhir) coming back as well (as team mentor), we have that support,” Russell stated within the press convention right here on Thursday.
Russell is again to his regular damaging self with the bat, after a disappointing run in IPL 2023. A change in mindset was key to his change in fortunes, Russell stated.
“My mindset was not right (in IPL 2023). I was thinking about failure more than thinking about just going out there and doing what I do best. The ‘I don’t want to get out’ mindset is negative. What works is to back yourself. In my role, I don’t face many deliveries, so I cannot expect to bat like a number two or three. The more I play shots, the more scary to bowl I get,” Russell stated.
