IPL 2022: "I came to the tournament having not played much cricket at all" - Jos Buttler reflects on his sensational run
Dashing Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler opened up on his fiery form in the ongoing edition of the IPL, stating he hardly played any cricket leading up to the tournament. Buttler believes his first hundred of the season against the Mumbai Indians raised his confidence.
The Englishman has been the best batter in the ongoing IPL season and is likely to finish the tournament as the highest run-getter. The right-handed batter has accumulated 718 runs in 15 games at 51.28, striking at 148.34. Furthermore, he has made three centuries, with a highest score of 116.
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In a video uploaded by Rajasthan Royals' official Twitter handle, the 31-year-old revealed having not played any T20 cricket since the World Cup, while the selectors also dropped him from the Test squad.
"You know, I came to the tournament having not played much cricket at all. I left the Ashes due to the broken finger. I had been dropped for the West Indies tour, so I had two months of no cricket. It was actually really good for me, made me really fresh, but obviously I came having not played T20 since the World Cup. So, I think to score that 100 (vs Mumbai Indians) has just given the sort of platform and the confidence to relax and go into the rest of that tournament from that point."
Although the Englishman's form dipped briefly as he accumulated three consecutive single-digit scores, he returned to form in Tuesday's game. The right-handed batter slammed 89 off 56 deliveries in the first qualifier against the Gujarat Titan. However, the Royals lost by seven wickets.
Jos Buttler opens up on being part of Rajasthan Royals' family
Jos Buttler, who joined the Rajasthan Royals in 2018, stated that the IPL has been a big part of his life, including the friendships and memories, which will remain close to him beyond his career.
"Yeah, I think these are the things you really play the game for. You know you obviously want to do well on the pitch. But I think when you're finished and when you go away from these places, the kind of memories you take and relationships you build with the people around you and you're having these happy times and happy moments with your teammates and making lifelong friends. These are some of the closest things you will take away from the game."
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The 31-year-old will be crucial to the Royals' chances when they face either Royal Challengers Bangalore or Lucknow Super Giants in qualifier two in Ahmedabad on Friday.