Jos Buttler, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) batting star, applauded legendary Indian cricketers MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for their remarkable talent in maintaining self-belief and sealing victories. Buttler’s commendation followed his own match-winning performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 16.
Buttler’s innings of 107 marked his seventh IPL century, trailing only Kohli’s record of eight. It was his second ton of the ongoing season. Despite a sluggish start that saw him reach his half-century off 36 deliveries, the 33-year-old Englishman ultimately succeeded in anchoring RR’s chase of the daunting 224-run target.
However, the champion batsman got his next 50 off only 19 balls to help RR win by two wickets in the final ball.
Buttler said at the post-match presentation about how he remained optimistic and wanted to continue till the end, like Dhoni and Kohli, despite early struggles to change the script.
“Guys like Dhoni and Kohli, the way they stay till the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same. That’s something Sangakkara has told me a lot – there’s always a breaking point. The worst thing you can do is to not fight and give your wicket away. He just tells me to stay there and at some point, the momentum will change. That’s been a big part of my play over the last few years.”
Jos Buttler
Buttler had also produced an undefeated century against RCB two weeks ago, helping RR chase down 184 at home.
The England white-ball captain has returned to his greatest form, hitting 250 runs at an average of 62.50 and a strike rate of 147.92 this season.
“Keep believing, that was the real key today” – Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler acknowledged to suffering for the whole of the innings in the run chase against KKR, but remained optimistic that a turnaround was on the horizon.
The experienced batsman vaulted beyond Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes. He became cricket’s first with three centuries when chasing totals in IPL’s history.
“Keep believing, that was the real key today. I was struggling a bit for rhythm. At times you feel frustrated or you are questioning yourself. I tell myself it’s okay, keep going, you’ll get your rhythm back, and try to stay calm. There’s been plenty of times throughout the IPL, you’ve seen crazy things happen.”
Jos Buttler
Buttler’s heroics helped RR complete the joint-highest run chase in IPL history, matching their own record of successfully chasing 224 against PBKS in 2020.
The victory also cemented RR’s position at the top of the points table, with six victories in seven appearances. Their next home game is on Monday, April 22, against the Mumbai Indians (MI).