Dinesh Karthik has opened up on Andre Russell's press conference in IPL 2019, where he criticised KKR's performances.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik opened up on Andre Russell's criticism of the side's performance during the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League.
After the side's defeat against Rajasthan Royals, which was its sixth loss in a row, Russell failed to resist his outrage as he bared it all during the press conference after the game. While he said that "bad decisions" are costing the side, he also revealed that the dressing room atmosphere wasn't "healthy."
Over a year later, KKR captain Dinesh Karthik has opened up on Russell's outpour of emotions in the press conference, as he talked about the particular phase in 'The RK Show'.
“To be fair, he’s one of those guys who wears his heart on his sleeve,” Karthik said. “I am sure he meant whatever he could have said. When I say West Indian, they are kind of in-your-face people. Whatever they say, they say it honestly and it’s on your face, it’s up to you, how you take it. If you want to take it offensively, the mistake is on your part.”
Karthik further revealed that he had a conversation with Russell over his comments, insisting that he was frustrated with the side's performances.
“If you want to take it constructively, which is how I looked at it … we had a conversation over it. Man to man, we discussed it out. He wasn’t not happy with me, he wasn’t happy that the team wasn’t winning, that is the bottom line," said Karthik.
“And then I had to tell him what I said. Sometimes, things could go wrong. Whatever he said, I completely respected it. He also realised it, because he got a taste of the Indian media then as well. Easily, what can be said, and what comes out, can be two different things because the tone of what you say, to what comes out can be very different in print."
Andre Russell had won the Man of the Match award in three out of four matches KKR had won until the press conference where he expressed his emotions.
“He realised and he was a little apologetic as well. At the end of the day, I have a great relationship with him. That makes the difference. If I didn’t have a great relationship with him, it could have spiralled into something nasty," Karthik further added.
