Rajasthan Royals (RR) keeper-batsman Jos Buttler lauded former India captain and current Chennai Super Kings (CSK) leader MS Dhoni and called him the inspiration behind the emergence of wicketkeeper captains in the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of RR’s opening match in the IPL 2021.
In the ongoing IPL 2021, four out of eight franchises will be captained by wicket-keepers– MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings), KL Rahul (Punjab Kings), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), and Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) and Buttler feels the credit should go to Dhoni for setting the trend.
"I am sure MSD (Dhoni) has something to do with the sixth sense and breeding of wicketkeepers who can captain. He obviously has been a fantastic captain and there are lots of players who want to follow in his footsteps," Buttler told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview.
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“I think a wicketkeeper has a brilliant view of the game. That can add to your decision-making as you can see first-hand how the wicket is behaving and the way bowlers are bowling,” he added.
Talking about his own franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, who will be led by Sanju Samson for the very first time, Buttler said, “We have lots of variety in the team this season with some world-class all-rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Morris and a new captain. Sanju (Samson) is a very exciting player and has a long affiliation with the franchise. He is a very calm person and likes to have fun. I am sure he would try and get across that to the team. There will be a lot of passion in his leadership.”
He called Ben Stokes the X-factor for RR and said, “I strongly believe Ben Stokes will be the X-factor for our team in this season.”
The presence of a legend like Kumar Sangakkara as the team's Director of Cricket will be beneficial for the team felt Buttler.
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"He (Sangakkara) is a legend and has so much knowledge to share. He has vast experience of international cricket and has played the IPL too. He knows what to expect and it's a big plus for everyone to have him around," said Buttler.
"Playing without fans and living continuously in bio-bubbles is difficult. You have to learn to live without the energy that the crowd brings to the stadiums in IPL Pressure and excitement is still there but they are not visible. Certain times you have to raise your energy and intensity, which the crowd used to generate earlier,” Buttler said on the IPL 2021 being played without crowds in stadiums.
Rajasthan Royals will open their IPL campaign against Punjab Kings in Mumbai on Monday.
(PTI inputs)
