"I got back inside and went into shower with my cricket clothes on" - Andre Russell on what he did after being dismissed in IPL 2018 Qualifier 2

Andre Russell recently shared an anecdote from the night when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost the all-important Qualifier 2 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2018. The all-rounder, who was distraught after KKR's 14-run loss, divulged that he went into the shower with his cricket clothes on after being dismissed by Rashid Khan at a crucial stage.

Chasing 175 for victory, KKR were cruising at 93-2 at one point. However, a middle-order collapse saw them finish on 160-9, thus handing SRH a win in the knockout tie.

"When I got out to Rashid Khan, I got back inside and went into shower with my cricket clothes on, My shoes and everything was wet. I was just there with the water running all over me because (the loss meant) it was basically the last game (of the season)," Andre Russell said in a video shared by KKR on YouTube.

Andre Russell was caught at first slip for just 3. The destructive all-rounder had walked into bat when KKR needed 57 off 33 balls. In hindsight, the Caribbean star believes his dismissal was a result of his overthinking.

"I didn't get out being Dre Russ. I started to overthink the game. That was actually a ball I could have put away, and that's the moment where I knew I had messed up. If I was still batting at the back end, we would have won comfortably," a dejected Andre Russell said.

Andre Russell now realizes that he would have been embarrassed had anyone seen him taking a shower with his clothes on. The all-rounder said he learned a lesson that day - to keep the bowler on the back foot by playing some attacking strokes.

"I was just disappointed with myself. That's why I went into the shower with everything wet. I was happy that no one saw me that way because it was embarrassing. People would have been like - 'Are you losing it?' I realised (from that incident that) if a bowler feels you are scared to lift your bat, they are gonna be all over you. You have to back off a bowler by playing shots sometimes," the West Indies all-rounder added.

Andre Russell's performance in IPL 2021

KKR had a torrid time in the now-postponed IPL 2021, winning just two games out of seven. Andre Russell had a relatively quiet season, but he did show what he is capable of doing both with the bat and ball at times.

The 33-year-old scored 163 runs across seven games at an average of 27.16, while his strike rate was 155.3. Russell's best performance with the bat (54 off 22) came against CSK; he almost took KKR to an improbable win while chasing 221.

On the bowling front, he managed a career-best IPL figure of 5-15 against the Mumbai Indians. Although Russell picked up seven wickets in IPL 2021, his economy of 11.4 was on the higher side.

On his return to the national side, here are some of @Russell12A's best moments in the Windies shirt! ⤵️https://t.co/pc749GbSb1

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 23, 2021