Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell has rubbished David Wiese's criticism of head coach Chandrakant Pandit's style. Andre Russell highlighted his positive working relationship with Chandrakant Pandit over the past year in the Indian Premier League. David Wise expressed concern about Pandit's coaching style, describing it as 'military'. He emphasized the pundit's strict and disciplined approach, suggesting that international players may find it challenging to adapt to constant instructions on behavior and attire.
David Wiese attacked Pandit's coaching style
“He (Pandit) is known as a very militant type of coach in India. He is very strict, very disciplined and that kind of stuff," Wise said recently on the podcast 'Hitman for Hire: A Year in the Life of a Franchise Cricketer'. “Sometimes in franchise cricket, when you have foreigners, who have played all over the world, they don't need someone to come and tell them how they should behave, what they need to wear and what they need to do. Time. So, it was tough. "
In 2023, Knight Riders appointed Pandit as head coach, replacing Brendon McCullum, due to his impressive track record in domestic cricket. Pandit guided Madhya Pradesh to win the Ranji Trophy and Vidarbha to back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019.
Chandrakant Pandit has made things a lot easier for us – Andre Russell
Andre Russell declared his support for Chandrakant Pandit during the pre-match press conference. Russell emphasized the positive relationship they have developed over the past year. He highlighted the importance of trust in his coaching philosophy. "Working with him over the last year, we got to know the type of guy he is and he made things a lot easier for us," Russell said. "When you work with a coach in the first year, you have to make sure you trust his philosophy... We have to do certain things as professionals. It's getting better," he added.
Last Saturday, Andre Russell led Kolkata Knight Riders to a thrilling four-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens. The Kolkata-based franchise had a strong start to their campaign in the ongoing marquee tournament. KKR posted a mammoth score of 208 for seven after batting first and successfully defended it by restricting SRH to 204 runs. Russell's explosive innings of 64 off 25 balls, which included three boundaries and seven sixes, earned him the player of the match award.
