India vs Windies | Andre Russell ruled out of T20I series with knee injury
After much speculation about his absence in Kolkata, Windies Cricket finally revealed that Andre Russell will not be a part of the T20I series against India due to his knee injury. His knee problem has been there ever since he made a return to cricket earlier this year after his anti-doping ban.
Russell was supposed to join the T20I squad in Kolkata with another six players, but he was not present at the venue iduring any of the practice sessions in the last three days. While that created speculations, even coach dodged the matter saying “no comments”. However, Cricket Windies released a statement later to clear the air with the Chairman of Selectors Courtney Browne saying that Russell was "injured”.
The flashy and hard-hitting all-rounder was a part of Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL and went to Dubai to take part in the Afghanistan Premier League where he played one game for Nangarhar Leopards on October 9. However, three days after his selection in the team, Russell put up a post on Instagram saying that he was leaving the APL early because of injury.
Now, Russell is undergoing a rehab process in which he is doing strength workouts alongside getting treated on his knee. Part of his treatment involves being injected with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which includes having a portion of the patient's own blood above baseline, to promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. This treatment is basically being done to make the all-rounder fit for the fitness Test ahead of the T10 tournament in the UAE that begins on November 21. Windies selectors are also hopeful that he can play on the tour of Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Russell’s absence has come as a blow for the Windies, who are currently without several front-line players like Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, and Samuel Badree. Ashley Nurse