Kolkata Knight Riders may look like a divided house with the team practising without skipper Dinesh Karthik on the eve of their IPL match against Rajasthan Royals but West Indian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite Wednesday said they still have a healthy dressing room.
KKR found themselves on the brink of elimination with five losses in a row, the latest coming against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday as the team think tank chose to give their under performing India players, including skipper Karthik, some days' break.
Karthik, along with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill who were training in Mumbai, checked in late in the evening but Brathwaite said the mood in the camp was absolutely fine.
"I think the mood in the camp is good. We are still teasing each other. As a professional player, you cannot allow results to alter your demeanour or your mindset," Brathwaite said.
"If you allow that then the remaining four games will be even harder. We still laugh out at each other. We are still a healthy dressing room. I feel privilege to be part of it. I still enjoy coming to work practising and realising the game better."
"If you are a leader by nature, then that will come on in whatever you say, and do, and how you say things and how you do it. I've been speaking in team meetings, speaking to the coach, to the captain to the manager. I think a leader is natural, it's something that happens. I see myself as one."
"As a franchise they selected me to come and do my best, so it would be disrespectful of me to be looking too far ahead at the World Cup when we still have four games potentially seven looking to win a Cup."