West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has admitted that like many others, he is more than eager to see the back of the coronavirus pandemic, in order to get back to do what he loves to do best, and that is hitting sixes.
The swashbuckling batsman, however, also has another important reason to want to see the virus contained, and that is to get his family back together. Russell’s wife Jassym Lora and newborn daughter Amaiah were both in Miami, in the United States when travel restrictions were enforced, while the Jamaican was in his homeland.
“She [his daughter] and Jassym, they are both in Miami. I stay connected to them and talk to them. I wish I could have them here, but with all these travel restrictions, we cannot do anything,” Russell said in an interview with TV presenter Sanjana Ganeshan.
“It’s not really a situation anyone would want to be in. This is affecting the world, and it’s affecting me, preventing me from hitting sixes. I hope this thing calms down in a month or two and we can go back to normal life again.”
Dre Russell once again wants to feel the excitement of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has been postponed indefinitely amid the COVID-19 outbreak. For him, nothing can be compared to the excitement of the IPL and facing his home crowd at Eden Gardens.
“When I walk out [there] before facing a ball, the welcome I get is love, and yes it puts pressure on me. But it’s a good kind of pressure,” he added.
The power slugger batsman made his IPL debut with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2012. But limited opportunities and injuries restricted his number of games to a handful for the first two seasons. Currently, he is one of the biggest stars of the league with Kolkata Knight Riders.
