Jos Buttler's reputation as one of the finest openers in the history of limited-overs cricket is now firmly established, despite his occasional appearances at No. 3 in recent years. He initially batted lower in the order, but it was during his second season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that he received the opportunity to consistently open the batting.

Buttler was first assigned the role of opener by the Mumbai Indians, the inaugural IPL team he joined, at the beginning of the 2017 season—his second year in the tournament. He expressed gratitude to MI's head coach, Mahela Jayawardene, for providing him with that opportunity.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed batting in various positions throughout my career. In the early stages, I primarily played as a middle-order batsman or finisher. I owe a significant debt to Mahela Jayawardene for allowing me to open in T20 cricket. I had to adapt to playing during the powerplay, but once I navigated that phase, it felt like I was batting as I normally would,” Buttler stated, as reported by the Times of India.

Jayawardene had just taken on the role of MI's head coach that season. Renowned as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history, he guided the franchise to victory that year and subsequently to consecutive championships in 2019 and 2020. Buttler noted that he appreciated the ability to blend two different batting styles as an opener. "It’s rewarding to combine those two approaches. If you can successfully get through the powerplay and then play freely, you can significantly influence the game."

“Batting at number three is a new experience for me. I have done it a bit with England in recent months. I’m just trying to leverage my experience, assess the scoreboard, and play according to the situation. I can observe what the openers are doing, whether the ball is swinging, or if the pitch is favorable. I might be batting in the first over or outside the powerplay, so I remain adaptable and respond to the circumstances,” Buttler added.

Read Also: "15-20 People Are Against You!" Hardik Pandya’s Stern Advice to MI’s Ashwani Kumar

Get the latest Bollywood entertainment news, trending celebrity news, latest celebrity news, new movie reviews, latest entertainment news, latest Bollywood news, and Bollywood celebrity fashion & style updates!