Jos Buttler has been around long enough to understand that it typically takes persistence to end a run drought, and his determination was ultimately rewarded on Wednesday with a brilliant innings in the Titans’ victory over the Delhi Capitals.
The former white-ball captain of England had only scored 87 runs in eight innings during this year’s Twenty20 World Cup, but scores of 38 and 26 in the first two Indian Premier League (IPL) games indicated a change was imminent.
Buttler scored 52 off 27 balls, including five well-timed sixes, to help GT score 210/4 against DC at Arun Jaitley Stadium. However, in a thrilling final-ball match, his composed demeanor behind the stumps was equally important.
David Miller set out for a single in an attempt to equal the score and force a Super Over, but he was unable to connect with GT seamer Prasidh Krishna’s slow bouncer when DC needed two runs off the final delivery.
Buttler, however, sealed GT’s first victory in three games by skillfully gathering the ball and breaking the stumps with an underarm throw to run out Miller’s batting partner Kuldeep Yadav.
“Great to get the win, blind squirrels and all that. Very lucky throw but, obviously delighted. We desperately needed a win, glad we managed to sneak through,” Reuters quoted Buttler as saying.
The 35-year-old was happy just to be back among the runs.
“(Feeling) good, been searching for them a little bit. Felt in good touch actually, since I’ve been here. I’ve played for long enough to know that it’ll come back at some point. You just got to keep working through it,” he added.
GT, who won the IPL in their first season in 2022, moved up to sixth place in the standings and will play the Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.
