After his team’s seven-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson heaped praise on Jos Buttler, saying he is grateful to have a player like Jos Buttler in his team.
Opting to the bowl first, RR restricted RCB to 157/8 in 20 overs. Prasidh Krishna (3-22) and Obed McCoy (3-23) starred with the ball for RR, taking three scalps each while bowling economically.
Chasing the target, RR rode on Jos Buttler’s scintillating century (106* off 60 balls) to get over the line with 11 deliveries to spare.
It was his fourth hundred in this year’s IPL, equalling Virat Kohli’s tally of centuries from the 2016 season. With this knock, he also became the third batter after Kohli and David Warner to breach the 80-run barrier in an IPL season.
"This is his (Obed McCoy) first IPL, he is very calm and composed and backs his strengths and we really trust him to do well. Very grateful to have someone like Jos, and the way he is batting, touch-wood, we have one more game to go," said Samson in a post-match presentation.
According to the RR captain, the wicket played completely different in both the innings.
"The wicket was a bit sticky and was helping the fast bowlers a bit, it had really good bounce and was easier playing the spinners. We closed the innings really well, having DK and Maxi at the end we knew what they could do but having belief and composure in our skills is what got us through," he stated.
"It (winning the toss) made it easier to win this game, toss plays a huge role and I think the wicket played completely different in the first and second innings," he added.
With this victory, RR entered the IPL 2022 final for the first time since 2008. The Sanju Samson-led side will now take on Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 29.
"I was very young and it was the first IPL season and I remember playing an under-16 game somewhere in Kerala and I remember watching the last game with my friends and remember that last run where Shane Warne and Sohail Tanvir hit the run and they were running, it was a very vague memory which I have," said Samson.
(With ANI inputs)
