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Andre Russell spits bitter truth after Virat Kohli's Test comment post IPL win: 'They get lucrative central contracts'
Andre Russell didn't hold back in sharing his honest point of view, stating that it's different to play for West Indies from other teams like India.
Andre Russell has weighed in on the red-ball cricket debate after Virat Kohli’s bold remark post-IPL triumph, where the Indian star rated the league title five levels below the significance of Test cricket. Russell, a T20 superstar, has only played one Test for West Indies and is more active in franchise leagues than international cricket. He has no regrets about the path he has chosen.
Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket, ended his 18-year wait to lift the IPL trophy with RCB, but after the historic triumph, he had a chat with Matthew Hayden. The Indian maestro once again hyped the red-ball format in his chat with Hayden and downplayed his IPL achievement in front of playing Test cricket.
"This moment is right up there with the best moments I’ve had in my career. But it still marks five levels under Test cricket. That’s how much I value Test cricket. And that’s how much I love Test cricket," Kohli said.
Russell didn't hold back in sharing his honest point of view, stating that it's different to play for West Indies from other teams like India, Australia and England, where the players get lucrative annual contracts to play red-ball cricket.
“I think when you’re from India, Australia, England, those places where they look after their Test players, it’s totally different to being from West Indies,” says Russell. “Those guys get lucrative central contracts to play Test cricket and play on the biggest stages, of course they want to play. West Indians? You might play 50 or 100 Tests and you know, after you retire, there’s not much to show for it," Russell told The Guardian.
‘I was pushed out of the Test set-up’: Andre Russell
Andre Russell made his Test debut back in 2010 and, though he hasn't officially retired from the format, he never got another opportunity to don the whites for West Indies. The 37-year-old believes Cricket West Indies primarily viewed him as a white-ball specialist, which limited his chances in the red-ball game. However, he insists he has no regrets about how things unfolded.
“I was basically pushed out of the Test set-up. They saw me as more of a white-ball player and that was that.” Would he trade some of those sixes and franchise wins for a longer crack at Test cricket? Honestly? No. I believe in Test cricket, but at the end of the day, I’m a professional. It wasn’t part of my journey. I have no regrets because it wasn’t me that turned my back," Russell said.
