IND vs ENG: Jos Buttler Is The Closest To AB de Villiers In Terms Of All-Round Game - Rassie van der Dussen

South African batter Rassie van der Dussen showered praise on Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammate and England’s new white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, stating only the latter is remotely close to AB de Villiers in terms of all-round skill.

Buttler has been on a tear in the last few months, racking up runs across the limited-overs formats. Not only was he brilliant in the IPL 2022 season where he won the Orange Cap comfortably, but Buttler was also recently involved in England‘s highest-ever ODI total of 498/4.

“He’s in the form of his life, by his own account as well. He had a platform at Rajasthan to play freely and take the game away (from the opposition), which as an opener is what you want and he obviously has the skill and form to do that.”

“In this England side, he’s more of an impact player than a banker, he has that role to take the game forward. He’s probably the closest to AB that I have seen in terms of an all-round game, where he hits (the ball) and what he can do,” Rassie said.

The wicket-keeper batter scored 162 off just 70 balls against The Netherlands in the world-record innings, becoming the second-fastest to 150 behind de Villiers himself.

“It’s difficult to see how it would affect him” – Rassie van der Dussen

Notably, Buttler will be donning the captain’s hat after Eoin Morgan retired from international cricket last month. His first stint will be the white-ball series against India starting on July 7.

“Him being captain, it’s difficult to see how it would affect him. Maybe captaincy and that responsibility might weigh him down – we’ll see. Sometimes it is easier to play a certain way when you have clear instructions…when there is more responsibility there is a bit more pressure,” added Van der Dussen.

Also Read – Tired of reading English press talk crap about Virat Kohli – Tino Best