'He stayed calm and in the present' - Tom Moody hails Jos Buttler after match-winning century against KKR

Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody spoke about Rajasthan Royal’s chase and Jos Buttler’s performance at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 16. Buttler slammed his second century of the season to ensure a come-from-behind win for his team. The opener batted through the innings and his century ensured the Royals scripted the joint-highest chase in IPL history, overhauling KKR’s 223.

“Yeah, Kolkata does present that opportunity, we all know that chasing there is the better place to be, trying to defend in the back half of the innings is always difficult. And, when you've got a player like Jos Buttler set at the crease, even though in the middle of the innings we were a little bit perplexed to what was going on with the batting order with Ashwin jumping up ahead, he stayed calm, he stayed very much in the present and managed to see his team home in a thriller,” Moody said on Star Sports Cricket Live.

Moody spoke about how Jos Buttler played with an injury. Buttler was visibly struggling, towards the end of his innings especially, as his hamstring hampered him. It was the same injury that kept him out of action in Royals’ previous clash. However, not being a hundred percent did not stop him from hitting a match-winning 107.

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“Well, he kept going because he's an elite athlete and it just shows in today's world of T20 cricket or any form of cricket, you need to be an elite athlete, you can't just get away with just being a skilful player and that time has well and truly passed. He's an elite athlete, that's why he's still standing for that very last ball to hit the winning runs, simple as that,” Moody said.

"He's coming back from an illness, he's managed to bounce back pretty quickly because he is strong and physically strong but he's also feeling mentally strong as well given his history in the game but there's no hiding, in those conditions it's extremely, extremely tough and if you don't have the hard yards as an athlete and done the hard work, you can't put in performances like that, there's no way you give it away at 60 or 70 because you're exhausted,” he added.

Moody hailed Buttler's chase being one of the best IPL hundreds. “Yeah, if he’s saying yes, I'm saying yes because he is the boss, isn't he? But it has to go up there as one of the great IPL 100s, we've seen a lot over the years and that's the great pleasure of being involved in this tournament but when you're in a hole like Rajasthan, got themselves into a hole, to stay calm and collected in quite taxing conditions physically, it's remarkable that you see the finishing line like he saw it with clarity and that was the most important thing because the rest of the teams were off their way and it wasn't for him staying clear to the park and Rovman Powell having that injection, they were gone.”

Moody also shared his thoughts on the Rajasthan Royals' batting, saying, “After the first couple of wickets, the Rajasthan Royals tried to get on with it and secure a good start during the power play, which they needed while chasing a big total. Riyan Parag batted really well, but unfortunately, he just went for too many runs in that over. However, that injection of momentum was much needed. Dhruv Jurel, again, got very little time in the middle, and his dismissal was a classic example of someone who hadn't had enough batting time. I was perplexed that he didn't get enough time in the previous game as well. Then Ashwin came out to bat, which was quite puzzling. He was out there for about 11 balls, putting more pressure on Jos Buttler because he couldn't get the strike, thus losing momentum. I understand the theory behind putting him out there to avoid exposing both the West Indian powerhouses to spin, but they are there to manage those overs and look for boundaries when they're available.”

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Former Indian pacer Varun Aaron also shared his thoughts on the Rajasthan Royals' performance so far, stating that they need not try and do anything else as their current plans have served them well. 

“They just need to take it one game at a time because thinking too far ahead can lead to silly mistakes. Their formula is working for them, and they shouldn't change it. They haven't changed their formula in the last few years, and that's why this year is successful for them. They shouldn't get ahead of themselves and should focus on playing good cricket in every single game. The best part is that they're winning every game in different ways, with close games and big-margin victories. In every game, a new player steps up, showing that they're ready for tough situations.”