I was a bit young in my IPL journey" - Jos Buttler recalls playing under Rohit Sharma ahead of T20 World Cup semi-final against India
England captain Jos Buttler has opened up on his experience of playing under Rohit Sharma during his early Indian Premier League (IPL) days. The keeper-batter suggested that Rohit is a natural captain and always has an air of calmness around him.
Buttler, one of the best overseas players in the IPL, started his stint in the tournament with the Mumbai Indians in 2016. The right-handed batter opened on a few occasions in the 2016 and 2017 season. However, his breakthrough season in the tournament came in 2018 with the Rajasthan Royals.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Buttler reflected on India's fearless approach and reckoned that the philosophy comes from Rohit. Having played under the right-handed batter, the 32-year-old observed him as tactically very effective.
"They are a brilliant team and Rohit Sharma is a brilliant captain who I think has asked them to play more positively and with more freedom. I was a bit young in my IPL journey, but tactically I thought he was very good, making good decisions but not always the obvious ones."
He added:
"He has that sense of calm when everything around him is going on at a million miles an hour. A bit like when he bats, he makes it look pretty effortless."
India and England are set to clash in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup on Thursday (November 10). The former should start as marginal favorites as they won the T20 series on English soil in July.
Buttler, meanwhile, who had just begun his full-time captaincy, hasn't been able to contribute a lot in this World Cup so far.
"We all have different views on that mode of dismissal" - Jos Buttler on the non-striker run-out dismissal
Referring to his Royals teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, the Lancashire player revealed that their stance is different on the non-striker run-out issue. However, he admitted that it's the batters' responsibility to stay within the crease:
"We all have different views on that mode of dismissal. But it is certainly something he sees very much as fair game. So we’ve got to make sure we don’t get out like that and it’s the batters’ responsibility. It can’t happen if we’re in the crease. Obviously, he’s a fantastic player, skilful, really inquisitive guy, fierce competitor and a deep thinker about the game."
During IPL 2019, Ashwin infamously ran the Englishman out at the non-striker's end as he backed up too far when they played in different teams.