Nothing wrong in opting for limitedovers cricket
Jos Buttler has been in the forefront of England’s resurgence in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup disaster. In an exclusive chat, Rajasthan Royals’ 27-year-old England wicketkeeper spoke on how England’s perspective towards the IPL changed and learning to play the piano during his off days. Excerpts:
Following England’s poor World Cup 2015 campaign, what led to the team’s current ODI resurgence?
We decided that we could not play any worse. In England, ODI cricket was always seen as a poor relation to Test cricket. Andrew Strauss (ECB’s director of cricket) sort of arrested that and made a more conscious effort in making a successful white ball team.
After initial resistance to IPL, what has changed for England which has seen so many players in this edition?
The changing opinions towards white-ball cricket is key. The IPL clashes with our county season. We are taking white ball cricket as seriously as red ball cricket. There are not many players who play all formats. So, the burnout issue is not prevalent anymore. Trevor Bayliss, in particular, who had success with KKR as the head coach, knows how important it is for the success of players.
What is your take on the club versus country debate?
The climate of cricket has changed a lot with the IPL and the money the tournament offers. At the end of the day, we are professional athletes and we have a short career. To a big extent, earning as much money in that time is hugely important. I think there is nothing wrong in people wanting to specialise. It is becoming increasingly tough to play in all formats. I don’t think we should have that snobbery that if you play cricket, you need to play all formats.
NEWDELHI:
Tell us something about Jos Buttler which the world does not know about?
In this IPL, for a few months, I have been keen to learn the piano. I play the keyboard. Romi, the Rajasthan Royals media manager, has managed to find me a keyboard. In my idle hours, when we are not practicing or playing, I have been teaching myself to play the keyboard.