“It is very frustrating to not score in ODIs” - Jos Buttler

Stand-in England captain Jos Buttler has admitted he is disappointed not to have scored too many runs in his recent ODI games.

The 30-year-old was cleaned up for a duck by a yorker from Prasidh Krishna in the second ODI and had managed only two runs in the first. In fact, in the five innings that he has played in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup final, his scores have been - 1, 3, 8, 2, and 0.

Conceding that his performances have not been up to the mark in one-dayers of late, Jos Buttler said he hopes to bounce back soon. At a virtual press conference, the wicketkeeper-batsman said:

“Yes, it is disappointing. Have played a few games since the World Cup but have not been able to score many runs. It is very frustrating. Hopefully, I can put that right. I pride myself on my performance in 50-over cricket. It has been a big strength of mine for a while. I am desperate to do well. Obviously, I was in good touch in the T20s. Disappointed to have not made any scores yet in this ODI series.”

Jos Buttler also went on to add that he is not out of form and is feeling good with the bat in hand.

“I have been practicing well, feeling good. So hopefully it (a big score) is just round the corner.

From 50 to 99 in 11 balls...66616426624 😳🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/wD6X0cZVMZ

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 27, 2021

“Captain or not, I want to individually perform” - Jos Buttler

With regular captain Eoin Morgan injured, Jos Buttler has taken over the reins of the team. While England lost the first ODI under Morgan, they fought back strongly to win the second one and square the series.

However, Jos Buttler was a failure as a batsman as he could not contribute any run.

Asked if there is greater scrutiny over failures when a player is the captain, Jos Buttler responded:

“As I said, I take huge pride in my performance. I want to perform well and do my job for the team. When I step in as captain, my role as player in the team doesn’t change. Naturally, you want to lead from the front and play well. I am disappointed over the lack of runs. Whether I am captain or not, I want to individually perform well to assist the team. I am always working hard to do that.”

"We went out there and expressed ourselves as we always have done."🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/arOZ0UP2ED

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 26, 2021

Jos Buttler will be leading the side again when they face India in the deciding one-dayer of the series on Sunday.