IPL 2019 | I never mentioned anything on team atmosphere, I have been misquoted, says Andre Russell

After a splendid start to the tournament, winning four of the first five matches, Kolkata Knight Riders’ season has only gone downhill. Andre Russell, the only constant in all those wins, had to face the ignominy of being on the side that lost six out of six matches so far in the tournament, which propelled the Caribbean all-rounder to launch an attack on KKR's decision-making process.

However, just hours after that emotionally-charged press conference, where he questioned KKR’s team selection process and called the atmosphere unhealthy, Russell made a U-turn and told IndiaToday consulting editor Boria Majumdar that he didn’t make any comments as such.

“I have been misquoted. I never mentioned anything on team atmosphere. All I said was losing 6 in a row is unhealthy and I like to keep myself confined to a room,” Majumdar quoted Russell as saying on his Twitter account.

In the press-conference, Russell was miffed with the manner in which KKR failed to defend the 175-run total against Rajasthan Royals and stated that the team needed to pick themselves up instantly.

"I could pinpoint a few games where if we'd just looked to bowl tighter, and bowl bowlers who would restrict the game - the right bowlers at the right time [the results would've been different],. They say our batting has been struggling but our batting hasn't been struggling really. We get to totals that we should defend, we should restrict teams to lesser totals and going and get those runs.

"When we don't bowl well as bowlers, and don't take catches... I mean we have been the worst fielding team so far. It's plain, it's on TV, for everyone to see... We've been playing bad cricket, bowling wrong at the wrong time. That's what has been costing us games. To be losing and losing in similar ways. It's disappointing," Russell had said.