Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be missing their key all-rounder Andre Russell but skipper Gautam Gambhir wants his team to treat the Jamaican's absence as an "opportunity in bold letters" during the upcoming Indian Premier League
Andre Russell
Andre Russell
New Delhi: Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)âu00c2u0080u00c2u0088will be missing their key all-rounder Andre Russell but skipper Gautam Gambhir wants his team to treat the Jamaican's absence as an "opportunity in bold letters" during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).
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The flamboyant Russell has been handed a one-year ban for violating anti-doping whereabouts regulations and KKR now have England's Chris Woakes as a like-for-like replacement picked from the auctions.
"There are two ways to look at such situations in life. Either we can see Russell's absence as a challenge or look at it as an opportunity in bold letters. I as an individual, and KKR as a group, are looking it as an opportunity," Gambhir told PTI during an interview.
Asked if Woakes could fill in for Russell as a batsman, Gambhir gave an interesting answer.
"Maybe a combination of Manish Pandey's batting and Ankit Rajput's bowling can get us what Russell did. Not only Woakes but the entire team can try to fill-in for Russell and for that you don't necessarily need an all-rounder. May be some other pair can do this," said Gambhir who reckons that the core Indian group of batsmen like Manish Pandey, Surya Kumar Yadav and Robin Uthappa will have to take more responsibility on a relaid Eden track where pacers will have more advantage.
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