Buttler: 'You are always looking for that one over that you can really target'

Fresh from a match-winning hundred in Rajasthan Royals' second match of IPL 2022, against Mumbai Indians, Jos Buttler is in no mood to slow down.

"It was good for my confidence to spend time in the middle [against Mumbai], put in a good performance early in the season, and that, hopefully, can give me the confidence to take into the rest of the season," he said ahead of Royals' next game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

There is a certain method in Buttler's madness, which makes him one of the top batters in the T20 format. It was visible against Mumbai: the first 14 balls of his innings yielded just 12 runs as he got a look and feel of the surface; once he did, Buttler teed off.

"Powerplays are always a time that you are trying to look to score," he said. "I think initially you are trying to understand the conditions, maybe in the first and second over, and then try and take advantage of the fielding restrictions."

Buttler targeted the fourth over of the innings, bowled by Basil Thampi, smashing him for three sixes and two fours, collecting 26 runs in the process. That was all the momentum he needed as he lay into the Mumbai bowlers.

"At certain times in T20 cricket, you are always looking for that one over that you can really target and go for, and that was when I decided I had to try and be really aggressive," Buttler said. "I had been a bit quiet up until that point in the powerplay. So I wanted to try and make use of it and try to attack.

"I certainly felt like that gave me some good momentum into my innings."

Against Mumbai, Buttler scored a 68-ball 100 to lead his side to 193 for 8, and the bowlers then did their bit as Royals recorded their second win of the season in as many games.

But how about back-to-back centuries? Only five batters have scored two or more centuries in an IPL season, and Shikhar Dhawan is the only one to hit back-to-back ones, a feat he achieved in 2021.

"I hope so," Buttler said when asked the question. "Every game you want to do that, but I just want to contribute."