IPL 2019: Andre Russell claims atmosphere at Kolkata Knight Riders isn't healthy

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are having a nightmare IPL 2019 despite winning four out of their first five matches. They have lost six consecutive matches and are placed at the 6th spot on the points table with 8 points from 11 matches and far away from playoff qualifications which were looking easy at one point. And to add to their misery, their star player Andre Russell has made a startling admittance about the dressing room atmosphere.

Russell, who had single-handedly won matches for the franchise, on Saturday, has lamented the poor decision making by his team which has turned their campaign from good to bad to worse. The 30-year-old Russell, who has made 406 runs in 10 innings with a strike rate of 209.27 and at an average of 58.00, also has hit 42 sixes so far. He called KKR a good team making a bad decision in the ongoing tournament.

I find myself just being in my room for the last couple of days, says Russell

“I find myself just been in my room for the last couple of days losing games after games. I’m not the type of guy to do the walking around… It’s hard to do the walk around losing six games in a row. It’s not healthy, to be honest. I’m feeling down at the moment but tomorrow when we cross the rope my energy level will be 150. As cricketers, we have to have the passion inside, and not just to show it on the TV,” Russell was quoted as saying by India Today.

KKR’s bowling has suffered due to injuries to their two young fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti. It further got complicated when their South African import Anrich Nortje too pulled out of the IPL 2019 with an injury. Their Indian bowlers in Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla have not exactly set the tournament on fire, picking 3, 4 and 9 wickets respectively.

“As a professional cricketer, to be in this position is not the healthiest position. In terms of the decision, we have been bowling wrongly at the wrong time, that’s what been causing for us to keep losing in simple ways,” Russell was quoted as saying on eve of the match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“We have a good team. But having a good team and making bad decisions, I could pinpoint a few games where if we’d just looked to bowl tighter, and bowl bowlers who would restrict the game – the right bowlers at the right time [the results would’ve been different],” the KKR all-rounder, who himself had picked 8 wickets, further added.

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