IPL 2023: Ferguson comes to Russell's defence, says big-hitting West Indian 'far from underperforming'

Kolkata: Andre Russell may have had a quiet campaign so far in the IPL but pacer Lockie Ferguson on Thursday believed that his star Kolkata Knight Riders teammate will turn things around in their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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Russell got out cheaply for 0 and 1, even as KKR secured splendid wins over Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans in their previous two matches. But Ferguson said a big knock is due from the explosive Jamaican batter.

"I don't think Andre is underperforming. He played well in the first game (35 vs Punjab Kings), then he had a couple of early dismissals. I would say he's far from underperforming.

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"We all know what Andre can do, particularly here that was my first season and first experience of Andre, and Jesus! I've not seen a guy hit a ball like that. I'm sure he will put us a show for us tomorrow night," he said, recalling his first season in KKR in 2019.

The Kiwi pacer returned to KKR after being traded from Gujarat Titans along with Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Playing under an Indian coach in Chandrakant Pandit, Ferguson said he's doing a great job in creating a fine team atmosphere.

"It's been a great experience with Chandru from the start. I love his honesty. He gets around all the players. He knows how the team's morale is and how we are going to go about our business as a team.

"Probably from the outset, it's just win or loss but it's about that consistency and try to create a culture and a team value that has Chandru brought into the team from an early stage. It's nice to have him lead from the front," he said.

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