The Debuts
What would be your reaction if we told you that Russell got out for a duck on his T20 debut? This comes as a shock but April 21, 2011, was rather harsh on our star batsman because when he went to bat against Pakistan as his very first attempt at the shortest cricket format, it was sad. Russell was facing Wahab Riaz and gave 2 dot balls before handing a catch to a Rehman to end his maiden T20 innings. Increasingly the Indies still won the match by 7 runs. On the other hand, when he made his debut at ODI cricket it was directly for 2011 World Cup. Can you believe that?
Recording Artist
A lot of people believed that the Kolkata Knight Riders fan armies gave Andre Russell his popular nickname “Dre Russ”. You were also one of them, right? You‘ll be surprised to know that the legend himself fad coined the nickname way back in 2014. But why did he do that, self-love? Not really. Back in 2014-15, Russell or Dre Russ as he called himself, was recording songs. He uploaded 2 songs with the names “Sweat Whine” and “Sweet Heart” but he soon left the path and returned to cricket. In a recent interview, he revealed that he has his mind set on entering the Indian music industry. And I think he also loves to watch online movies on Movie Hustle. Let see where this goes.
Records
Do you remember the time when T20 format was new to the cricket universe? Nobody thought that scoring a century was possible, let alone a bowler’s hat-trick. But defying all odds, in the 2018 edition of the Caribbean Premier League tournament Russell achieved both these feats in the same match. Can you believe that? Although he wasn’t the first man to do it but that doesn’t cast a shadow on his talent. It is interesting to note that Russell is currently holding the “highest strike rate” position at IPL 2019. If he goes like this, we won’t be surprised if he takes West Indies towards victory in the coming world cup.
Emotional Moment
We all know Andre Russell as a fearless guy on the field because that’s what he has portrayed. But interestingly, there is an emotional man hidden somewhere inside that tough exterior. In a recent interview, Russell recalled, “When I got banned in 2017, I was depressed. I do not cry easily, but to see Venky Mysore take up the phone and say they were going to retain me through that time, water-filled my eyes. They know me, that’s the thing about family. I owe these performances to them. ” Coconut is the true sense.
Chris Gayle is Bro
Let’s take you back to the early days of Russell’s career in international cricket. He was known for his big-hitting but seldom only was he able to play big knocks. However, it all changed in the 2016 T20 World Cup where the universe boss, Chris Gayle himself went to Russell and instructed him to use bigger bats. In Russell’s own words, “I used to use lighter bats, but when you make contact with a light bat, it doesn’t go anywhere. You can use bigger bats, you’re strong.” The advice has worked well for our hero.
Money Factor
A great cricketer like Andre Russell will be paid well, obviously, with an annual income of about $4 million, Russell is probably paying a fortune in tax. Considering his net worth is a whopping $15 million, he wouldn’t worry about the tax so much. He raked $0.6 million each from Pakistan Super League and Big Bash League back in 2017. Is that a small sum for this star cricketer? Well, he even made a glorious $1.8 million through IPL in the same year. It is safe to say that Andre Russell has got the money it takes to lead a glamorous life. Which brings us to.
Lifestyle
He is a lover of cars and his garage hosts beauties like Mercedes Benz CLA 200, Range Rover Sports, Mercedes CLS, Mercedes GLE 250D a BMW M3. That would be a long fleet of cars escorting Russell. Oh and he might add Tata Harrier to his fleet if he wins the Harrier Super Striker title in IPL 2019. Did you hear about his mansion which is worth a million dollars? It’s a huge bungalow with a swimming pool, ideal for some pool parties. Oh wait, he actually trains in there. This guy has some dedication in his veins. But every now and then parties on yachts and private jets.
Love Life
The West Indies player has never left us unimpressed with his batting skills but how many of us know about his wife? Russell married long term partner Jassym Lora back 2016. Recently she was at the receiving end of a lot of hatred. You won’t believe but haters had nasty things to say about her looks. Like come on, the woman is gorgeous and is a popular model in Jamaica. But this girl takes no shit and called out haters through her Instagram post that read, “Social media has made too many of you comfortable with disrespecting people.”
Test Cricket
Andre Russell is known for marvelous numbers in the shortest formats of cricket but his record for playing with the red ball after donning the white jersey is a complete U-turn. This was way back in November 2010 when Russell made his debut in test cricket and any idea how that experience was? The reason why the game is worth remembering after all these years is that he made 2 runs after coming at number 10. Wait for more, he took a good 9 balls to add the two runs. But he managed to take a wicket- TillakratneDilshan. Oh and this was the only test match Russell ever played.
IPL Money Game
A lot of money flows into IPL every year and we mean a lot. Russell for that matter was bought by the team Delhi Daredevils for two consecutive years 2012 and 2013 but his performance wasn’t as effective as it is this year so Delhi released him before the 2014 season and that’s when everything changed.
