"Way they stay till the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same"- Jos Buttler credits MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli after heroics against KKR

Rajasthan Royals (RR) star Jos Buttler praised Indian stalwarts MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for their ability to maintain belief and finish off games after he performed a similar act against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 16.

It was Buttler's seventh IPL century, second behind only Virat Kohli with eight, and a second this season. The 33-year-old also overcame a slow start that saw him reach his half-century off 36 deliveries in a run chase of 224.

However, the champion batter scored his next 50 off only 19 balls to help RR pull off a final-ball victory by two wickets.

At the post-match presentation, Buttler spoke about how he kept believing and wanted to stay till the end like Dhoni and Kohli despite the early struggles to flip the script.

"Guys like Dhoni and Kohli, the way they stay till the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same. That's something Sangakkara has told me a lot - there's always a breaking point. The worst thing you can do is to not fight and give your wicket away. He just tells me to stay there and at some point, the momentum will change. That's been a big part of my play over the last few years," said Buttler.

Buttler had also scored an unbeaten century against RCB two games back to help RR chase down 184 at home.

The England white-ball skipper has returned to his best form, scoring 250 runs at an average of 62.50 and a strike rate of 147.92 thus far this season.

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"Keep believing, that was the real key today" - Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler admitted to struggling for most of the innings in the run-chase against KKR but kept believing a turnaround was around the corner.

The veteran batter also leapfrogged Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes to become the first player with three centuries in a run-chase in IPL history.

"Keep believing, that was the real key today. I was struggling a bit for rhythm. At times you feel frustrated or you are questioning yourself. I tell myself it's okay, keep going, you'll get your rhythm back, and try to stay calm. There's been plenty of times throughout the IPL, you've seen crazy things happen," said Buttler.

Buttler's heroics led to RR completing the joint-highest run-chase in IPL history, equaling their own record of successfully chasing 224 against PBKS in 2020.

The win also solidified RR's place at the top of the points table with six wins in seven outings. They will take on the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their next outing at home on Monday, April 22.