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Watch: Hardik Pandya slips attempting a catch, then Buttler makes Gujarat Titans pay by smashing 46 off next 17 balls
In the next 17 balls, he smashed seven boundaries and two sixes to score 47 runs which helped Rajasthan Royals finish with 188 for six in 20 overs.
Jos Buttler, the Orange Cap holder of the ongoing 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), who was touted to break Virat Kohli's long-standing record of most runs in a season, struggled in the last seven games scoring just 138 runs at a strike rate of just 111. And the struggle with execution continued on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during Rajasthan Royals Qualifier 1 game against Gujarat Titans. But one big error from the GT skipper Hardik Pandya changed the entire game for Buttler, who did not make the team pay with a flurry of boundaries but eventually got to his first half-century score in six games. (Follow IPL 2022 full coverage)
He started off with a couple of cover drives but played second fiddle to Sanju Samson, who scored a blazing 26-ball 47. Buttler, on the other hand, managed just 39 off 38 at the start of the 17th over.
No a pitch that was predicted to serve a 170-180 score, as said in the pitch report by Matthew Hayden, Rajasthan managed just 127 for three in 16 overs.
Buttler needed to change gear and hence took on Yash Dayal in the 17th over smashing the first ball for a boundary. He looked to emulate the same as he launched the outside-off delivery over mid-off, but Hardik came running in and almost came in position to complete the catch but slipped. The ball bounced went over him, bounced once and touched the ropes.
Buttler's innings till then was filled with lifelines. Not once, but twice did he survive a dismissal opportunity. And while the struggle was expected to continue, Buttler had broke the shackles.
In the next 17 balls, he smashed seven boundaries and two sixes to score 47 runs. En route, he scored his seven fifty-plus score this season, took his overall tally to 718 runs this season, and helped Rajasthan Royals finish with 188 for six in 20 overs.
