I’m happy to play in the middle order: Jos Buttler

Buttler, who started as a opener in the IPL tournament, has been batting down the order in recent games

Abu Dhabi: England batsman Jos Buttler says he does not mind batting in the middle order for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League if his team requires him to do so.

Buttler, who started as a opener in the tournament, has been batting down the order in recent games. Against CSK on Monday he was at his destructive best, while skipper Steve Smith held the other end.

---

The inaugural edition champions rode on Buttler’s unbeaten 48-ball 70 after their bowlers produced a fine effort to restrict three-time champions to a modest 125 for five. “It’s different (from opening the innings). In the middle we are a lot more reactive to what’s happened before. I am happy to play both roles, wherever the team requires me to play,” Buttler said in a video tweeted by the Royals.

We needed a partnership even though the run rate was never a big issue. We weren’t chasing a big total we lost a couple of wickets and we just needed a partnership and calm the game down and get the momentum back from CSK,” Buttler said.

He has called for an improved effort on the field, adding that the team gave away an extra 10-15 runs during their victory against Chennai Super Kings.

“We could still improve our fielding. We probably gave 10 or 15 away in the field,” Buttler said. “It was a much-needed win. It was a pretty good performance with the ball. Jofra has been fantastic and Shreyas and Rahul Tewatia were brilliant with the leg spin,” he added.

The Royals looked in commanding positions against the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Banglore in their previous two outings. However, Smith and his men were unable to cross the finish line.

They are currently placed fifth on the points table with four wins from 10 matches. The win against CSK has kept their playoff hopes alive. “At times, we have certainly not played the best cricket in the tournament but over the last three games we have played but have just won one.

“This is the business end and this is where we need to pull the results out. Good sign that we playing better cricket,” Buttler added.