IPL 2021: Jos Buttler Reveals Kumar Sangakkara's Advice Which Helped Him Return To Form With A Century Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Jos Buttler was having a middling IPL 2021 season for the Rajasthan Royals untill Sunday when he came up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers in Delhi.

He had scored 130 runs in 6 innings at a strike rate of 127.45; against SRH the right-hander blasted 124 runs at 193.75 and not only romped back himself amonnst runs, but also kept RR’s hope alive to reach the playoffs.

In absence of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, and with a young captain in Sanju Samson, the Royals desprately needed Jos Buttler to stand up  – he did winning them the game single-handedly.

Buttler started off his innings cautiously as Kane Williamson, the new SRH skipper, introduced his trump card, Rashid Khan, as early as in the 3rd over, and bowled him the fifth over as well.

Jos Buttler eschwed his attacking instincts till Rashid completed his spell by the 11th over. At that stage, Buttler was 35 of 33; he then teed off against every SRH bowler he encountered and rumbled to his maide IPL century. He was supported well by Samson in a 150-run partnership.

There was a nice messsage from Kumar Sangakkara: Jos Buttler

The opener credited team director Kumar Sangakkara’s advice which help him return to form. Jos Buttler revealed that the former Sri Lanka captain had suggested him to maintain his shape and balance while hitting the big shots.

“I am feeling good, it was obviously nice to spend some time in the middle. It was nice to get few shots out of the middle of the bat. For some time, I felt like that I did not know which way to hold the bat really, it was a good win for us, happy to contribute. I thought that we are just one wicket down so I might just go for it,” Jos Buttler said in a video uploaded on IPL’s website.

“There was a nice messsage from Kumar Sangakkara as he told me to keep my shape. I was trying to swing hard for a while. Sanju Samson is a good guy to bat with, he is fun in the middle. I think the key to playing in Delhi is staying hydrated as it is quite hot here. Take on as much fluid as you can,” he added.

With their 55-run win, the Royals move up to the fifth spot on the points table with 6 points. They will next face the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.

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