Buttler’s in a defiant mood in Mohali
JOS BUTTLER last night insisted “all is not lost” for England after a poor start to the third Test against India in Mohali yesterday but admitted the tourists had failed to make the most of conditions.
Jonny Bairstow lived up to his billing as this year’s leading Test runscorer to help England salvage an adequate total on a day of occasional dire straits.
England faltered to 87 for four shortly before lunch, but Bairstow (89) shared in two successive half-century stands to underpin 268 for eight at stumps.
Buttler, who fell for 43 when he was caught at extra cover by Virat Kohli off Ravindra Jadeja, feels if England can post a firstinnings total of 300 or above that they remain in a competitive position in the match as they bid to level the five-match series at 1-1.
He said: “The guys will be a little bit disappointed and we didn’t make the most of the conditions after winning the toss on day one.
“The way Jonny batted showed we could have built a big score, but all is not lost. If we can get up or over 300 we’re in the game.”
Buttler was brought back into the team at No. 7 after out-ofform batsman Ben Duckett was dropped, his first appearance in the Test side in 13 months after being dropped mid-series against Pakistan last winter.
“I’ve really enjoyed being back with the guys, and I’ve been preparing as if I’d play,” he added.
“In an ideal world you’d like to come off a string of games and then go into a match but for me I haven’t found switching between formats a big issue. Something I want to do is not worry about what colour the ball is and try to be in a similar mindset no matter what colour it is.”