England wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler was full of praise for his Indian counterpart, MS Dhoni. The hard-hitting batsman has revealed the attributes he likes in former Indian skipper.
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The English cricketer is currently in the form of his life and has always been a huge supporter of Dhoni over the years.
He recently even credited Dhoni after the fifth ODI vs Australia. Buttler had found his form in IPL 2018 and crawled his way back into the national team, riding on that.
Jos then cemented his place in all three formats with strong performances against Pakistan and Australia. Speaking to the Mail, Buttler revealed Dhoni was always an idol of his.
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“He’s always been a bit of an idol of mine, especially his demeanor,” says Buttler while speaking to the Mail. “I enjoy the way he never looks flustered, and he’s one of these guys who seems to be not out at the end.”
Over the years, Dhoni has been the greatest finisher in the limited-overs. His calculative risks in the slog overs while chasing had helped India win many games. Buttler recollected the way Dhoni backed himself to hit a six against England on the last ball of the chase.
“I remember playing a game at Edgbaston, where India needed five off two, and he hit one to deep square and turned it down. He backed himself to hit a six.”
Buttler Praises Indian Premier League
The 27-year old was full of praise for Indian Premier League as well. He had a wonderful season with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018.
Jos Buttler almost single-handedly took Rajasthan Royals to play-offs. He was instrumental to their success and found his lost form.
“The IPL was a big eye-opener. I also watch guys like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson – I’ve watched how consistent they are. Kumar Sangakkara’s another. He’d just want to turn up each day and win the game for his team.”
When asked about his current form, Buttler has acknowledged he is doing well across formats. The resurgence in form has helped Jon Bairstow to a great extent.
Bairstow is currently concentrating exclusively on his batting skills, as Buttler took over as a wicketkeeper for the team.
“It’s been a really enjoyable few months. Yeah, it’s the form of a lifetime, but what I’ve done well is having the hunger and desire to turn up the next day and do it again. I want to be able to continue that.”
India and England are currently fighting it hard in the three-game ODI series. India dominated first ODI at Trent Bridge, and England came back very strongly in the second ODI at Lord’s. The third ODI and the decider will be played on Tuesday in Leeds.
