"It is probably like 10-year-olds at a Taylor Swift concert" - Jos Buttler hails MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's fan-following

England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler has praised MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's massive fan base and compared the atmosphere around them to a concert by popstar Taylor Swift.

While Dhoni retired from international cricket as India's most successful captain, Kohli continues to rewrite the record books, becoming the first player to reach 50 ODI centuries last year.

The duo will be seen in the 2024 IPL season opener when CSK takes on RCB in Chennai on March 22.

When talking about the popularity of the two Indian stalwarts, Buttler told Fancode:

"(There’s) that sort of fantasy around the IPL and the way the fans are is, like I say, unmatched. There’s guys like Dhoni and Kohli, when these guys walk on the field, it is probably like 10-year-olds at a Taylor Swift concert. It’s unbelievable, the noise that people create just to see them, you know? They are not even playing, they’re just walking out onto the field."

"Travelling through the airports there’s security all around them, guys trying to just take a selfie or get close to them. They are A-list celebs out there and the following they have. Obviously, now with social media and the influence they have is incredible. So, it’s cool to see a bit of that," he added.

Meanwhile, Dhoni is also the most successful IPL captain and has led CSK to five titles.

Kohli played under Dhoni during India's triumph in the 2011 ODI World Cup before taking over the leadership role in all formats in 2017.

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"At times you want to shut yourself away in your room and just hide away" - Jos Buttler

West Indies v England - 5th T20I

Jos Buttler welcomed the fanfare that cricketers garner but admitted wanting to also stay away from the limelight at certain points in his career.

Among the most popular cricketers in world cricket, the 33-year-old won the Orange Cap in IPL 2022 and led the English side to glory in the T20 World Cup later that year.

"At times you want to shut yourself away in your room and just hide away. Obviously, we don’t have it to the level those guys I mentioned do. But it’s also cool to get that sort of recognition and feel like a bit of a rockstar. So, yeah, the fans are next level for cricketers and especially the big Indian stars, they really do idolise them," said Buttler.

Unfortunately for Buttler, his England side endured a dismal showing in the ODI World Cup last year and missed out on qualification for the semi-final.

The star wicketkeeper-batter will be back in action when the Rajasthan Royals (RR) open their 2024 IPL campaign against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 24.