Boss Buttler and the art of ball hitting bat

A very important thing happened in the third over of the Gujarat Titans (GT) innings in IPL 2025 on Saturday. Jos Buttler missed the scoop.

There is inherent risk in this shot. Its success depends on taking the number one rule of bating and throwing it out the window, because to pull it off, you need to give up the stumps and use less than the full face of the blade.

Yet, the scoop is Buttler's go-to shot. When he got hit in the gut by Mitchell Starc, and lay flat on the ground, winded, he already knew what he was going to do next ball. He kicked himself off-balance with his back leg so that he would be position to scoop.

And when he plays it, he means for the ball to hit bat. He is never looking for power. Having opened himself up to trouble - giving up his stumps, giving up his balance - all he wants from this point on is to bring the odds back in his favour. That's why he only ever focuses on making contact.

The other thing he makes sure to do is stay on his feet. The scoop requires premeditation. The bowler almost always knows what you're trying to do before he has to release the ball, so he can adjust his length. Buttler has thought of all this. In a masterclass for Sky Sports six years ago, he said, "That's the other reason I quite like doing it in this way. You dug one in there and because I'm still upright, I can manage to [motions the ball hitting his bat and going over his shoulder] almost help it away. So, I feel like here I've got a chance with the varying different deliveries."

When Buttler began playing his cricket, the people who were accessing the area behind the wicket often did so by going down on their knees - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers. These are all great players and all of them had great success playing this shot. Buttler could easily have adopted the same methods, but he didn't. He was clever enough to spot a flaw and then come up with a solution for it.

Buttler's scoop sets him apart, and not just as a 360-degree batter but as a critical thinker. A problem solver. A smarty pants. Here, when he missed his signature shot, he understood that the Ahmedabad pitch didn't have enough pace. That was crucial information. It helped him focus his strength - which wasn't in ample supply given he had fielded for 20 overs in 40-degree heat. He cramped up the tenth ball he faced. Still sent it for six, though. Buttler was the fourth-oldest player on the park on Saturday. The oldest had to leave the field for dehydration.

"It kind of takes you by surprise actually, how much fluids you need or how draining it is," Buttler said. "I certainly felt that batting. But it's obviously part of the game. You've got to be fit and to be able to perform under pressure and in the heat."

For the better part of four hours, Buttler was exposed to the kind of weather that makes it impossible to think about anything else. And yet that's what he did. Think. He made 97 off 54 deliveries as GT chased 200-plus for the first time in the IPL. He found ways to combat spin - saw off Kuldeep Yadav (12 off 12, with one four) but pounced on Vipraj Nigam (29 off 14, with one four and three sixes). And he dismantled Starc.

The DC fast bowler trusts his yorker. It pushed a game his team should have lost into a Super Over and he won it for them. So, he went for them again, except Buttler is built different. He understands the value of ball hitting bat.

Starc was coming around the wicket. Four of his five deep fielders were on the leg side. Buttler knew all he had to do was pierce the ring on the off side. He didn't need power for that. He didn't need any of his tricks. He just had to plant an open face down on the ball and let Starc's own pace work against him.

The second ball of the 15th over - which went for 20 runs - was the epitome of Boss Buttler. He isn't about aesthetics or technique or right or wrong. He just does whatever necessary to find a gap.