'Playing for West Indies comes first,' states Andre Russell
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has been a seasoned T20 campaigner. He has played in franchise T20 leagues around the world. However, his injuries have hampered his West Indies career, especially in the shortest format. He has only played two T20Is for the West Indies since 2018.
Russell turned down the opportunity to play for the West Indies against New Zealand this year in favor of the Lanka Premier League. While some accused him of not being serious enough while playing for the West Indies, Russell claimed there was nothing more important to him than representing his country.
"Playing for West Indies comes first for me. And the energy and effort that I put out playing for West Indies, I wouldn't do it playing anywhere else. Sometimes people don't understand what a player like myself goes through with niggles and all of those things. But they're just going to judge, and it's easy for them to judge," Andre Russell was quoted as saying by SportsMax.
Andre Russell reveals conversation Kieron Pollard about the tour of New Zealand
The COVID-19 pandemic made it mandatory for the players to get used to the life in a bio-secure bubble. Having already lived in a bubble during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Andre Russell had to move to another one in the UAE as he was playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 32-year-old was struggling mentally to cope up with life in a bubble. He revealed when he was playing in the IPL, West Indies chief selector Roger Harper had asked him about his availability for the tour of New Zealand.
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard had asked Andre Russell about the same. But he decided to opt out of the tour as he was not in a proper mental space at that time. Although he changed his mind later and informed Harper about his availability, the selector said that it was too late then.
"The chairman reached out to me while I was playing IPL, but before that, I was talking to Pollard. And Pollard said: "Russ, I'm not forcing you, I'm just asking you: Are you coming to New Zealand? I said, 'yeah, man, I would want to come, but right now, Polly, my headspace is messed up. I'm struggling, I'm not getting no runs, all of this,'" Andre Russell asserted.
"As a player to another player, he will understand what I'm going through. Coming from a bubble in Trinidad [for CPL], come straight into Abu Dhabi [in IPL], days on days, you can only go to practise, and come back to the hotel and your room. You can close your eyes and go to the bathroom, but there is nowhere else to go," he further added.
With the West Indies keen to defend their T20 World Cup crown in less than a year's time, Andre Russell's availability for that tournament will be crucial.