Mumbai: Jos Buttler credited his IPL experience for his 76-run knock that helped England put up 400 runs on the board against India in the fourth Test here on Friday.
The explosive batsman, who plays for Mumbai Indians, said: “Having practiced here and played here, maybe in different circumstances, and having the IPL experience helps you to get used to the noise and chaos and you learn to deal with that and focus on to the batting. I think the familiarity is good and it definitely helps.”
The Englishman, playing in only his third Test since October 2015, also said that the time away from game helped him learn more about himself and cricket.
“I don’t think it (being not part of the Test team) mattered to me at all. It gave me some time to think about my game. To play so much of cricket does not give you time to think, at times. So, over the last year, I have probably learnt the most about myself and about cricket,” Buttler said at the post-match conference.
Buttler forged a 54-run partnership with Jake Ball (31) after England were 334/8 and took England’s total to 400. He looked pleased with his batting performance and said that the Wankhede pitch was still helpful for batsmen.
“I really worked hard during the time leading into the Tests. It was satisfying to score those runs when the team needed it. I enjoyed my time in the middle. 400 is a good total against quality bowlers and in their conditions.
“It still is a quality batting wicket with majority of the balls going through consistently and only a few turning.” While Murali Vijay (70 not out) and Cheteshwar Pujara (47 not out) batted solidly as India ended Day Two on 146/1, Buttler said that the England side were still optimistic about putting pressure on the hosts.
“Getting to 400 does that for us. The two guys have played very well for India. But still the lead is over 250. In this part of the world the game can accelerate when the ball is spinning. If we get a bit more consistent, get a string of dot balls and build more pressure, there definitely are wicket-taking balls in that surface,” he concluded.
