"One of the most magical T20 knocks in recent memory" - Fans lavish praise on Buttler's one-man show in RR's record chase against KKR in IPL 2024
Rajasthan Royals (RR) opening batter Jos Buttler played one of the greatest knocks in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to help his side record the highest-ever run chase. The Englishman scored his seventh IPL hundred, ending up with a strike rate of 178.33 to leave the entire Eden Gardens shellshocked on Tuesday, April 16.
Buttler, who was not fully fit and had missed the clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), came on as an impact sub in the second innings. He struggled to find his rhythm and largely played second fiddle to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag's cameos at the start of the run chase.
Buttler slowly picked up the tempo, but was not helped by wickets falling at the other end. RR were reduced to 121-6 at one stage, but Buttler took the game deep. Rovman Powell's quick-fire cameo catalyzed the run chase, and Buttler single-handedly took down the KKR bowling attack in the last set of overs to finish the game off.
Fans unanimously bowed down to Buttler's brilliance against KKR. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
"Never ever doubt Buttler," former India player Mohammed Kaif tweeted
"One of the most magical T20 knocks in recent memory," former India women's team skipper Mithali Raj remarked
"A tight slap to those Excel sheet merchants," one tweet read
"Guys like Dhoni and Kohli, the way they stay till the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same" - Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler was struggling at 42 runs off 33 deliveries at one stage, and it seemed like he would perish like the rest of his teammates in the middle overs collapse. He stressed that belief was the key to his sensational performance in the final overs, which included an onslaught on Harshit Rana and Mitchell Starc.
"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. Guys like Dhoni and Kohli, the way they stay till the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same," Buttler said during the post-match presentation.
Jos Buttler has already scored a hundred this season, against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home in what was another successful run chase.