IPL 2021: “I ran away from it and let him catch it!” – Jos Buttler recounts hilarious moment with Anuj Rawat
Jos Buttler admitted he is finding it hard to field after letting go of the gloves this season. The Englishman shared a hilarious anecdote involving Anuj Rawat, revealing how he kept his distance as the youngster took a sublime catch to dismiss Abdul Samad.
The Englishman agonizingly missed out on a brilliant catch earlier in the day, as he failed to hold onto Jonny Bairstow’s skier after running back from mid-off. Although Buttler got both hands to the ball, he couldn’t quite complete the catch as it bounced away for four.
Jos Buttler got together with Chris Morris after the game, and the South African asked him to share his experience of fielding without the gloves on for the Rajasthan Royals.
“Just getting a real understanding of just how hard fielding is actually. Every time I am spraying guys from behind the wicket on not catching one and I am getting my own back now. Then it was really nice to see Anuj (Rawat) look good under the ball. So it was one of the few that I made sure I stayed quite quiet on, so I ran away from it and let him catch it,” Buttler shared.
Anuj Rawat executed a brilliant diving effort to dismiss Abdul Samad late in the game. The SRH youngster sliced one towards the off-side as the ball went high in the air. Fielding at cover, Anuj Rawat quickly covered ground to pull off a stunning diving catch, with Jos Buttler seen keeping out of his way coming in from long-off.
Although Jos Buttler had an average day while fielding, his Man of the Match effort with the bat helped RR beat SRH by 55 runs. Buttler’s maiden T20 ton is the highest score by an RR player, and he is happy to have contributed after a slow start to IPL 2021.
“I am feeling good. It was obviously nice to spend some time in the middle and get a few out of the middle (of the bat). From feeling like I didn’t know how to hold the bat at the start of the tournament, it is a good win for us and I am happy to contribute,” Buttler reflected.
Jos Buttler reveals what changed for him in the second half
While Jos Buttler finished with a 64 ball 124, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the opener. He was 35 off 33 at the 11-over mark as he struggled to time the ball. But the 30-year-old found his mojo soon after, accelerating brilliantly to power RR to a match-winning total.
Buttler shared with Chris Morris how a message from the dugout helped transform his fortunes.
“I was thinking we are only one down have a dip! Someone else can have a go. A nice message from Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara), told me to try and keep my shape. I think I was swinging a bit hard for a while. Sanju is a good guy to bat with, he is a lot of fun in the middle. There were some good boundaries to try and target. When guys get in here, it is hard work as we know as an opposition when other people do that to us,” Buttler said.
After averaging just 17.8 in Mumbai earlier this season, Jos Buttler has smacked 165 runs in two games in Delhi. Chris Morris asked Jos Buttler to share the secret behind his success, and the destructive opener had this to say.
“I think the key to playing well in Delhi is that it is pretty hot. So you've got to stay quite hydrated, take on as much fluid as you can at all opportunities and hope for the best,” Buttler concluded.
The Rajasthan Royals play two more games in Delhi, and the franchise will hope Jos Buttler continues his purple patch. They will now face the Chennai Super Kings on May 5.