Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has revealed the unusual night routine of West Indies stars Sunil Narine and Andre Russell during the Indian Premier League (IPL). Akram, who worked with Narine and Russell during his time as the bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), shared that the two players stay up all night and sleep during the day while in India for the tournament.
In an interview with Sportskeeda, Akram recounted a funny incident where he noticed Narine’s swollen eyes during breakfast and asked him about it. Narine explained that he follows the time zone of his home country, West Indies, which is 9 hours and 30 minutes behind India. This means that he and Russell stay awake at night and sleep during the day while playing in the IPL.
Despite their unusual routine, both Narine and Russell have been performing well for KKR in the ongoing IPL season. Narine has been opening the batting for the team under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir and has scored 286 runs in 7 matches at an impressive average of 40.86 and a strike rate of 176.54. He has also taken 9 wickets with an economy rate of 7.11.
Similarly, Russell has contributed with both bat and ball, scoring 155 runs in 7 games at an average of 51.67 and a strike rate of 184.52. He has also picked up 9 wickets for the team.
The bizarre night routine of Narine and Russell has not affected their performance on the field, as they continue to play key roles for KKR in the IPL.