RR standout Jos Buttler commended Indian cricket icons MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for their capacity to sustain confidence and close out matches, following his own match-winning performance against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 16.
Buttler’s century marked his seventh in the IPL, ranking second only to Virat Kohli’s eight, and his second of the season. Despite a slow start, the 33-year-old reached his half-century off 36 deliveries during the chase of 224 runs.
However, the accomplished batsman managed to score his following 50 runs in just 19 deliveries, aiding RR in securing a last-ball victory by two wickets.
During the post-match presentation, Buttler discussed how he maintained belief and aimed to remain until the end, similar to Dhoni and Kohli, despite his initial difficulties, to turn the tide in RR’s favour.
“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,” said Buttler.
Buttler had previously hit an undefeated century against RCB in a match two games ago, aiding RR in chasing down a target of 184 runs at home. The England limited-overs captain has regained his top form, amassing 250 runs at an average of 62.50 and a strike rate of 147.92 in the current season.
“The key today was to maintain belief”- Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler confessed to facing difficulties for the majority of the innings during the run-chase against KKR but persisted in believing that a turnaround was imminent. The seasoned batsman also surpassed Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes to become the first player to achieve three centuries in a run-chase in IPL 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,” said Buttler.
Buttler’s outstanding performance resulted in RR achieving the joint-highest run-chase in IPL history, matching their own record of successfully chasing 224 against PBKS in 2020.
This victory also strengthened RR’s position at the top of the points table, with six wins in seven matches. Their next match will be against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at home on Monday, April 22.
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