IPL 2020: KKR all-rounder Andre Russell reflects on knee injury; laments intense workout early on in career

IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders' all-rounder Andre Russell cautioned youngsters on putting their body under the pump and over-exerting it.

Speaking to Gulf News, Russell opened up on some of his decisions which he took in his younger days, shedding light on his knee injury in particular, which he aggravated while practising too hard against the caution of doctors.

Russell stated how his knee turned from bad to worse due to intense workout sessions and running for long hours at a stretch. He lamented the absence of the right or more logical advice from peers or coaches instead of doing what felt right at that time.

Russell was quoted as saying by Gulf News,

“Those who want to be another Russell should never do what happened to me... When I was 23 or 24 I began to get knee pain."

“If I had someone tell me: ‘Look, Russ, you should get your knee stronger by keep doing these simple exercises, I would have been pain-free from my knees and hopefully I wouldn’t have to have had surgery. Unfortunately, at 23 you are fearless, and I used to ignore that pain and I always gave it a quick fix by taking pain killers and kept running."

According to him, mindless running without any sort of pre-planning early on in his career took a toll as the wear and tear have affected his free-flowing nature of the game. He advised the newcomers to pay heed to their upper body as well as the legs, training wisely and giving their full in the middle.

“By the time I reached my late twenties, I started feeling the pain like I never felt before. The wear and tear began to show up. If I was doing those strengthening exercises like training of the legs and doing the right things, I would have been fitter.”

Russell revealed how being in a good shape for girls was a huge motivating factor in his life and that resulted in him putting his knee under intense pressure through long hours of running.

"I want the youngsters to know that guys should not just think about the upper body alone... I used to go to the gym and just work only on my abs and my shoulders because I wanted to look sexy for the girls. At the end of the day being sexy and then your legs being weak, don’t work. So it is very important to have a complete work out of the body. I could have done more wonders had I worked on my legs too."

Russell stated how a poor knee stopped him from playing his game freely and giving 100 per cent on the field. He explained how a fit Russell would have gone hammer and tonks against any opposition, comparing it to the present times when even a bad knee couldn't stop him from scoring those huge sixes.

“I have been struggling with my knees and I cannot really get to do what I want to do in the middle but still I can stand and hit the balls for fours and sixes