Mumbai Indians wicket-keeper Jos Buttler was all praise for the team's head coach Ricky Ponting and said that the former Australian skipper desperately wants to help people improve their game. Buttler is the most expensive English player this season and has 222 runs from 13 games, which is the highest among MI batsmen who have batted below number four.
Buttler admired the 41-year-old's passion for the game. "The thing that really stands out about him is his energy for the game and his passion for cricket. He just desperately wants to help people do well and to improve. His knowledge is second to none, not just of his own game and his own experiences, but also of other people, of techniques," he told ESPNcricinfo.
Buttler had been instrumental in taking England to the semi-finals of the World T20 earlier this year with his 37-ball 66 against Sri Lanka, but the team ended as runners-up after they lost to West Indies in the final.
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With a few cricket pundits back in England saying that his test career has come to an end due to his interest in the IPL, Buttler believes that it is an "old-fashioned view" to think that way. He had earlier lost his Test place to wicket-keeper Jonathan Bairstow, who recently made his second Test century, lifting England to win the first Test against Sri Lanka.
"Trevor Bayliss and Andrew Strauss are forward-thinking guys and place a lot of importance on white-ball cricket. According to Trevor, it is not closing any doors. One of the main things Trevor has always said is, no matter what form of the game you are playing, the basics are exactly the same," he said, adding that he does not feel he is putting an end to his Test aspirations.”
The 25-year-old said that he has set high standards for himself and external expectations do not worry him. He went to make his feelings clear that he himself believes he has not performed as well in the IPL as he would have liked to, adding that the tournament creates cricket that one would never see anywhere else.
"It has been a hell of an experience. Personally, I haven't played as well as I would have liked to. The demands on you, especially as an overseas player, you feel the pressure," he added.
MI, the defending champions, were eliminated after they lost the game against Gujarat Lions on May 21.
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