It was his penchant for hard drinks that landed him in trouble just like in 1995 when he was hauled up in the Colaba Police Station after a five-star hotel here complained of his rioting under an alleged inebriated condition.

The then chief conductor of the event, Alan Chamberlain, also British, had promised that the errant player will be in the doghouse but nothing happened.

In Ahmedabad also, he had taken his passport to the prohibition office for special permit and that's where he lost it. The Ahmedabad organisers advised him to stay in the city only as the hotel accommodation there was cheaper than here. To his misfortune, four holidays came up and the British Consulate remained closed.

In 1995, the then Assistant Police Commissioner Dinkar Akolkar helped solve the mess Russellhad created in the five-star hotel here. Russell completely forgot this and failed to recognise Akolkar when the police officer met him in London next year.