IPL 2021: Can put my body on line as I am fitter this year, says KKR's Andre Russell

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell on Sunday said that he has gained full fitness now and he can now put his body on the line for his franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Over the last two seasons, Russell has been injury-prone and his fitness has been a cause of worry for the Eoin Morgan-led franchise.

"I`m in better shape compared to last year, so I`m hoping for a better performance than last year. I can put my body on the line because I`m a lot fitter. Morgan is relaxed and he gives us all the freedom, only intervenes if it`s not working. If we have the upper hand against any team, we must go for the kill," Russell told host broadcaster Star Sports before the start of the match against SunRisers Hyderabad.

"We fell short by a few runs last year, and just lost the big moments and fell short marginally. We must minimize our errors and do well. The good thing is that we are back in India. The UAE was lovely, but when you talk IPL, you talk India. I am used to these conditions, and I`m looking forward to playing here," he added.SunRisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner on Sunday won the toss and opted to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the third game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Harbhajan Singh is making his debut for KKR in the match against SRH. Skipper Morgan had handed out a cap to the Turbanator before the toss.

At the time of the toss, Warner said: "We`re bowling first. This wicket will play a little different, it`s a lot drier. There wasn`t much dew in the last training session, and so that won`t make much of a difference. We know what we can chase, to be honest."

SunRisers Hyderabad playing XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan.

Kolkata Knight Riders playing XI: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Shakib Al Hasan, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Harbhajan Singh, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.