Buttler seeks to revive RR campaign

: Much has hinged on Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler to carry Rajasthan Royals in the middle overs. But the English duo hasn’t fired in unison, causing Royals to falter and not finish on a high. Stokes, the most expensive buy at the 2018 IPL auctions, has scores of 5, 16, 27, 14 45, 40 and 0 while Buttler is yet to cross 30.

With the team fifth in the table and still in with a decent chance to make it to the playoffs, Buttler said it was matter of individual responsibility that every player, including him and Stokes, need to realise. “It just comes down to individuals. We haven’t quite performed in the middle as we would have liked,” said Buttler ahead of their match against Delhi Daredevils.

Apart from two matches, Stokes is yet to justify his Rs 12.5 crore price tag. One of the best allrounders of our time, Stokes however never really had a great T20 career. He is yet to score a fifty in internationals and averages a measly 14.76. Still, a lot was expected from Stokes.

“Myself and Ben Stokes really expected ourselves to come in and play that role. That was probably the biggest shame for us in the last game,” said Buttler, referring to their 11-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, chasing 151 at home. “I haven’t given an account of myself that I should have. And that’s disappointing. A lot of it comes down to individual accountability.”

Fielding too has been one of the areas where Rajasthan Royals have fallen short of expectations. “We haven’t quite played to our potential. We have got a second half of the tournament to try and amend that. Fielding is a huge part of the game and we have been guilty of missing chances. That’s definitely an area where we need to improve on, get ourselves up on the table and be more consistent,” said Buttler.

With mentor Shane Warne at the helm, Rajasthan Royals will be expected to engineer a turnaround against an opponent who haven’t had the best of tournament so far. “We stay tight as a group. It might take one slice of luck to kickstart the tournament. We are still in a position where we can play good cricket and qualify for the later stages,” he said.

NEW DELHI We haven’t quite played to our potential. We have got a second half of the tournament to try and amend that. Fielding is a huge part of the game and we have been guilty of missing chances.

JOS BUTTLER, On Rajasthan Royals’ performance so far