"Can't remember anyone else batting this well in the history of the IPL" - RR's Kumar Sangakkara hails Jos Buttler's royal season

Jos Buttler is batting like nobody ever has in IPL history, opined Rajasthan Royals (RR) director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara. The opener smashed his fourth century of the season as RR progressed to the IPL 2022 final after beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by seven wickets in Qualifer 2 on Friday.

Buttler followed up his 89 off 56 against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 with a flawless 106* off 60 balls, laced with 10 fours and six sixes, at Motera tonight. Sangakkara seemed particularly impressed with how the Englishman overcame a mid-season slump to hit top gear when it mattered the most.

“It’s hard to describe what he’s done for us this season, in terms of T20 batting. He started off so well, [then] he had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament. But then he just calmed himself down, had a lot of good conversations rather than just training, accepted that he’s mortal and human and he can’t be at that high level of excellence every single day. But trying to understand how you reach that level in every game, at different stages – some days you have to fight and look ugly, other days your rhythm is there.

"And the reality is that you can’t fight that condition, fight what’s happening on the day. You have to just settle into it and build that innings, and you can accelerate at any point. He’s got all the strokes, he’s a lovely guy, he understands the game really well. And I can’t remember anyone else batting this well in the history of the IPL,” the RR chief said at the post-match press conference.

With a below-par 158 to chase, the Royals came flying out of the blocks. Although Yashasvi Jaiswal (21 off 13) couldn’t convert his rollicking start, Buttler – batting on 66* off 33 – ensured that the required rate came down to below six halfway through the innings.

Asked if the attacking approach was part of RR’s modus operandi tonight, Sangakkara iterated that they didn’t have any talk regarding the plan of action. He credited the batters for playing according to the situation and making the bowlers pay as and when they erred.

“Our plan of action has always been very consistent – we read the game as it is being played out there. So when the openers went in, there were no conversations about what score we need in the powerplay or how we are going to play. You go out there, assess what is happening – if the bowling is to your liking and they bowl to your strengths, execute your strengths; if it’s not, you battle through the rest. The way they played, I think they assessed the conditions really well. They got a couple of looseners that allowed them to get away. And then after that, they just picked the moments they wanted to accelerate, put all the loose balls away. And when a bowler is under pressure, they make a few mistakes as every individual will do.

"And we had two very skilled players out there who were able to take advantage. And that’s the real key – you can’t really anticipate what’s going to happen, you got to read it as it happens and then play accordingly. Batting is a reactive skill. Thinking gets in the way – you can think in between deliveries, but then you just focus and do what the ball tells you to do, and you try and have that clarity,” the Sri Lankan legend said in response to a Sportskeeda query.

Buttler drove part-time off-spinner Glenn Maxwell (0 for 17) through covers for a single before jumping in the air and exulting. He then hit Harshal Patel (0 for 29) for a towering six over mid-wicket to take RR home with 11 balls to spare.

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“He has inspired them off the field and on it” – Kumar Sangakkara praises RR skipper

Sanju Samson and Buttler combined to put the result beyond doubt tonight [Credits: IPL]

Along with Jos Buttler’s imperious form, experts and fans have been left impressed with how Sanju Samson has gone about his leadership duties this season. After finishing second-last in 2021, the wicketkeeper-batter has played an integral role in RR making their first final appearance since 2008.

Kumar Sangakkara lavished praise on how the skipper has matured both as a player and leader, saying that he now has better clarity on his role. He added Samson gets into his captaincy boots only while standing behind the wickets and that he has a batter’s mindset while standing in front of the sticks.

“Sanju’s been exceptional. He started off with quite a tough test last season, with quite a young side, with a lot of upheaval in terms of Covid bubbles, players coming in and leaving, tournament of two halves. He’s really grown into his role, he’s a very soft-spoken, very reserved individual, exceptionally skilled with the bat. But he’s shown a lot of passion and hunger to play for this franchise, to take on this testing role of captaincy. Wicketkeeping, captaining and being the best batter in your side – along with Jos Buttler – is not an easy role to fill. But he’s done it really, really well this season.

"He’s become more and more aware of what his role is – that he’s really only captaining when he’s fielding and when he’s batting, he’s just Sanju Samson the batter who needs to bat with freedom and enjoyment. His tactical awareness has improved right throughout and it’ll only keep getting better. He’s really trusted his team, the team really looks upto him as a leader, he’s inspired them off the field and on it. And I can’t be prouder of how Sanju has grown and the individual and the captain that he is,” Sangakkara elaborated.

At the toss, Sanju Samson had expressed how badly he wanted to reach the summit clash. Come Sunday, with confidence and momentum on his side, he can pay the perfect tribute to the late Shane Warne – the first Royal.