Table of Contents
In the 2019 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), the atmosphere in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) camp was not pleasing at all. The two-time champion side didn’t even make it to the playoffs and reports of a ‘rift’ between Andre Russell and captain Dinesh Karthik worsened the situation.
It all started when Russell, during a press conference, questioned the decision-making of the team to send him lower down the batting order. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about the Russell-Karthik relationship.
However, KKR’s new mentor David Hussey thinks otherwise. In an interview with The Indian Express, the former Australia international denied any possibility of estrangement between Russell and Karthik. Instead, he claimed that there is a ‘bromance’ between the two star players of KKR.
“There is no rift or anything there. Actually, I think there is a bit of bromance there, and they are pretty close, which is fantastic for the group,” said Hussey.
Hussey further heaped praises on Karthik stating that the latter is a brilliant leader and team members adore him.
“Karthik is a straightforward person who backs his teammates to get the job done. It’s a good sign of leadership. He is high maintenance at times because he loves the game of cricket. There is no malice… he only cares about winning the game,” added the 43-year-old.
Morgan as vice-captain will fit in perfectly: Hussey
The Western Australian opined that the inclusion of Eoin Morgan would add another dimension to the side. He said that Morgan and Karthik as vice-captain and skipper respectively could get the job done for the Knight Riders.
“Morgan is a classy-middle order player. Along with DK, I am sure it will be a fantastic partnership on the field. DK from behind the stumps and Morgan can be sort of the vice-captain and help the bowlers out in certain situations. He will fit in perfectly,” Hussey added further.
KKR will bowl-out their IPL 2020 campaign against four-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) on September 23 in Abu Dhabi.
