"If Virat Kohli had scored this century, we would have sung his praises for 2 months" - Harbhajan Singh lauds Jos Buttler's IPL 2024 knock vs KKR
Harbhajan Singh has lauded Jos Buttler for scoring a match-winning century in the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) IPL 2024 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
KKR set RR a massive 224-run target at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, April 16. Buttler then smashed an unbeaten 107 off just 60 deliveries to help the visitors register a two-wicket win off the final delivery.
Reviewing the game on Star Sports, Harbhajan noted that Jos Buttler deserves as much praise as Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni for his incredible performances.
"He is a special player. He is a player of a different level. Jos Buttler hasn't done this for the first time. He has done this many times and we will see him doing this job many times going forward as well. He is an incredible player. We don't talk much about him because he is not an Indian player," he said.
"If Virat Kohli had scored this century, we would have sung his praises for two months, just like we talk about MS Dhoni's four (three) sixes. We should celebrate him just like we celebrate our players because he is also one of the legends of the game," the former India spinner added.
The unbeaten 107-run knock was Buttler's seventh century in the IPL. He is just one short of Kohli's record tally of eight hundreds, and has played 142 games fewer than the former Indian skipper.
"He was very calm and composed and just continued to do his job" - Harbhajan Singh on Jos Buttler
![Jos Buttler struck nine fours and six sixes during his innings. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/b406c-17133289440929-1920.jpg?w=500)
Harbhajan Singh praised Jos Buttler for pacing his innings perfectly.
"He was very calm and composed and just continued to do his job. Whenever he got an opportunity, he hit fours and sixes, and took singles and doubles. He kept moving the game forward. When batters are getting out from the other end, it's very important to hold your composure and play your own game," he elaborated.
The cricketer-turned-commentator urged youngsters like Riyan Parag to learn from the England skipper.
"It was terrific batting. The youngsters need to learn from the way he paced his innings. If we talk about Riyan (Parag), he is an extremely talented player, scored very good 34 runs, but this is how you win matches," Harbhajan said.
"You have to stay firm and when you get a chance to open your arms in the end, you have that power and a clear mind about where to play the shots and which bowler to pick to play those shots," he added.
Parag smashed a 14-ball 34 with the help of four fours and two sixes. However, an overaggressive approach led to his downfall as he skied an attempted big hit off Harshit Rana's bowling and was brilliantly caught by Andre Russell.