I Get Goosebumps while playing in the IPL: Andre Russell


I Get Goosebumps while playing in the IPL: Andre Russell

russell kkr mi ipl salil bera

West Indies all rounder Andre Russell who played IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has admitted that he gets goosebumps while playing in the IPL and also said that he wants to represent KKR until the end of his career.

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Russell has been playing with KKR since 2014 and over the years he become the biggest match winner for the franchise.

Russell has managed to play 57 matches for KKR so far and scored a 1,342 runs till now and takes 54 wickets in the tournament.

“Let me confess something. IPL is where I get the most goosebumps when I am playing cricket. I get that in the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) as well, but when it comes to playing in the IPL, especially at Eden Gardens, there is no comparison to that crowd. When I walk out before facing a ball, I have goosebumps all over me because of the welcome that I get,” official website of Kolkata Knight Riders quoted Russell as saying.

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“That’s pure love, and yes it puts pressure on me. But it’s a good kind of pressure. When Kolkata needs 12 or 13 runs per over, with only 5 overs to go – I love those moments, and the crowd really allows me to do what I need to do. I get a feeling they are telling me: ‘Listen, we have got your back, so just go out and do your ko business’. But I know even if I fail two games straight, when I come out to bat for the third game, it is the same deafening reaction I will get from the crowd. It’s always a welcoming thing,” he added.

“Just like players in big football leagues like English Premier League, or the Basketball guys at NBA retiring from the sport say ‘okay, this is my last game’ and they wave goodbye to the crowd – I imagine I would love to be at KKR until that moment in my career. I’d say, ‘Listen, Shah Rukh, all the KKR staff, everyone. This will be my last IPL and the last home game playing in Kolkata,” Russell said.

“It would be such an emotional moment. I sometimes watch videos and I see footballers crying and I’m wondering if I would actually cry, but that’s the special thing about playing at a club for so long and getting so attached. You know someday you’re going to go out,” he added.

The West Indies all rounder managed to win the Most Valuable Player(MVP) title in the 2015 and 2019 IPL season.

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Russell will represented KKR this year as well but the coronavirus pandemic has forced postponement many top tournaments across the world including Indian Premier League.