Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) overdependence on all-round Andre Russell was one of the major reasons for the team’s lacklustre showing along with a depleted pace attack during the 2019 season.
Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) overdependence on all-round Andre Russell was one of the major reasons for the team’s lacklustre showing along with a depleted pace attack during the 2019 season.
Following the unsuccessful season, Russell spoke about not being happy with certain decisions. He advocated his thoughts openly about bad decisions being the reason behind the team’s defeat.
These talks gave birth to talks about a possible rift between him and KKR skipper with Karthik.
Speaking about the issue Karthik said he spoke to Russell about his problems and had a man-to-man chat with the West Indian.
“To be fair, he’s one of those guys who wears his heart on his sleeve. I am sure he meant whatever he said. But again, West Indies players are in your face kind of people. But whatever they say, they say it honestly and it’s up to how you take it. If you want to take it offensively, then the mistake is on your part. If you want to take it constructively which is how I looked at it. We had a conversation over it man to man.
“He wasn’t happy with me, he wasn’t happy that the team wasn’t winning, that is the bottom line. Whatever he said, I completely respected it.
“He was a little apologetic as well. At the end of the day, I have a great relationship with him. If I didn’t have a great relationship with him, it could have spiralled into something nasty,” Karthik said on The RK Show on YouTube, hosted by cricket commentator and presenter Radhakrishnan Sreenivasan.
“Because I have an honest relationship with him where I can go straight up to him and be like ‘Russ you know what, I don’t think what you have said is right, because the way it has come out, it’s not great.’. He also said ‘you know skip, this is how I felt about it not how it’s come out’. There itself half the battle is over.
“But then he had an issue. He said ‘we can do this better. I don’t think you are doing this way’. And then I had to explain ‘being a leader, I can’t completely please you but we can change things around but not exactly as you want’.
“Having different opinions and dealing with it is one of the most important things. I think you need to be able to stand up and have a conversation. Sometimes a hard conversation as well,” Karthik added.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}