IPL 2022 | Sometimes you just have to swallow your ego: Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler has had two halves this season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. While the first half of the IPL was all about free-flowing cricket, the second half has been more of a struggle. Qualifier 1 between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at Eden Gardens last evening witnessed Buttler in both his avatars.

During his knock of 89 off 56, the keeper-batsman scored his first 39 off 38 balls, then smoked the opposition away to make his last 50 runs in just 18 balls.

Speaking about his knock after the match, Buttler conveyed that this was not one of his most fluent innings and relied on luck to make the most of it.

"I was finding it tough to start with. Then Sanju came in and was playing fantastically well from ball one, so tried to get him back on strike for a bit. He took a lot off me. It wasn't my most fluent innings, but I tried to hang in tough and stay in there, get a bit at the end and ride my luck," Buttler explained.

The Englishman also spoke about his approach during such an innings during a crucial must-win match.

"What I tried to do is just hang in there. I know at some point, I trust myself to get away. Today it came very late in the innings; sometimes, you hope it comes early. But I was determined to hang in there. It was a big game for us, and batting first, I wanted to make sure we put a good score on the board,"

"Sometimes you just got to swallow your ego; if you're finding it hard, you're finding it hard. Not to try and force it too much. Don't panic. I know the opposition will prefer me to panic and get out, so I just try and hang in there, bide my time and pick a match-up when I get it," he concluded.

The Taunton-born is the leading run-getter in his IPL, with 718 runs at an average of 51.29 with three centuries and four fifties.

Thanks to a Buttler whirlwind at the end of the innings, Rajasthan managed to post 188 runs on the board, with Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal chipping in.

After a few hiccups early on, the Titans chased the total with ease as David Miller and Hardik Pandya shared a 106*-run stand for the fourth wicket to help the debut-franchise qualify for the finals.

Both Rajashthan spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin remained wicketless, which could be a reason for their loss. However, the 31-year-old did not look much into this one-off performance and lauded the duo's efforts.

Buttler said, "Those two guys have been outstanding for us all season. We continue to back them. This is a tough place for bowlers - seam or spin. If you're just a little bit off, it's a very small ground with a very fast outfield. There are lots of boundaries available on this particular ground."

The Sanju Samson-led side will face the winner of Eliminator 1, where the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be pitted against the Lucknow Super Giants this evening.