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Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Gujarat Titans (GT) assistant coach Aashish Kapoor backed struggling English batter Jos Buttler to regain his form, saying that such lean patches happen with most of the top players and he is on the right path to get back to his best.
Buttler, who made a scratchy 33-ball 38 during the campaign opener against Punjab Kings (PBKS), will be eyeing a return to his dominant best against his former franchise. The former England captain had a forgettable ICC T20 World Cup run, scoring just 87 runs in eight innings at an average of 10.87, with a best score of 26. Speaking during the presser, Aashish said about Buttler that it is a "matter of one innings" to get back to his form for him, pointing out how Indian legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have also battled lean runs of form throughout their storied careers. "He is a top player, there is no doubt about it. He had a bad one, one-and-a-half months which can happen to any player. It happens to most top players - Sachin [Tendulkar], Virat Kohli had such a big [lean] patch. But these players always come back. It is a matter of one innings for such players to get back to form," he said. Aashish said that the last match saw Buttler trying to apply himself well, and knowing the pride the wicketkeeper-batter places in his performances, he will be eager to make a triumphant comeback. "You can see the way he batted last match also, trying to apply and want to make a name back again for himself, that he is back in form. It is a matter of one inning for such players to get back to form. And I think he is on the right path," he concluded. Last season, Buttler made 538 runs in 13 innings in his debut with GT after a long run with RR from 2018-24. These runs came at an average of 59.77 and a strike rate of over 163, with five fifties. In 122 IPL matches and 120 innings, he has made 4,158 runs at an average of 39.98 and a strike rate of almost 149, with seven tons and 24 fifties and a best score of 124. Squads: Gujarat Titans Squad: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Jason Holder, Jayant Yadav, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Luke Wood, Tom Banton, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Nishant Sindhu Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Tushar Deshpande, Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Shubham Dubey, Kwena Maphaka, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao Perala. (ANI)
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