Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed concern over Andre Russell’s poor form with the bat for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Although KKR has won two out of three games, Chopra believes that runs from Russell’s bat could take the team to the next level. Russell scored just 36 runs in three games, with a good start of 35 against Punjab Kings but only one run in the next two games. Chopra also pointed out that the all-rounder wasn’t given the ball in any of the matches.
Chopra praised the performances of Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Nitish Rana, who stepped up when needed. However, he still thinks that something is lacking in KKR’s batting. If Russell scores runs, the team’s stature will suddenly grow even further. It is still unclear why KKR skipper Nitish Rana isn’t using Russell with the ball.
In case Russell is benched against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday at Eden Gardens, Namibian David Weise can come in as a like-for-like replacement.
