Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody believes that the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the Kolkata Knight Riders Mentor played a crucial role in the retention of the experienced West Indies duo, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, for the upcoming edition of IPL, despite their high prices and underwhelming performances in recent years.
Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have been with the Purple and Gold club for over a decade and have emerged as two of the game’s most influential figures in the IPL, winning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice.
Tom Moody, while speaking on Espncricinfo, expressed his belief that the contributions of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine to the Kolkata Knight Riders’ success over the years cannot be underestimated, and credits Gautam Gambhir, who captained the team during their 2012 and 2014 IPL Championship victories, playing a pivotal role in their retention.
“They both have been phenomenal cricketers for KKR and are really a part of their. I feel that Gambhir has been quite pivotal in the retention of Russell and Narine. Gambhir understands them, he’s played with them, he’s captained them and he’ll be able to get the best out of them,” Tom Moody said.
Narine and Russell have been regulars in the KKR lineup for numerous seasons in the IPL, contributing to the team’s two-time championship. Both West Indian players had an underwhelming 2023 season and would be keen to perform well for the two-time champions in the IPL 2024.
Andre Russell Bowling Has Been Pretty Limited As Well – Tom Moody
Tom Moody has raised concerns regarding the physical fitness of Andre Russell going into the IPL 2024 season, as he has been plagued by injuries during the last couple of seasons. Moody feels that Russell’s bowling has been limited due to his injury issues.
“I think we’ll see a different outcome in 2024 with regards to what Russell brings to the table. The only hesitation I have is not skill. It’s whether he can hold together physically because we’ve seen him break down on a couple of occasions over recent years and it’s been quite alarming. His bowling has been pretty limited as well, and they haven’t had the access to his full quota of overs,” Tom Moody added.
The West Indies big-hitter could not finish the game for his sides in recent times as he has been inconsistent with performance in T20 Cricket over the last couple of years on global leagues and would look to turn things around in the upcoming tournaments.
