Ben Stokes’ aggressive batting style has had an overwhelming effect on IPL bowlers, and Jos Buttler will need his star all-rounder to continue with his current form with the Rajasthan Royals in 2021. Stokes got promoted to the order during the first two ODIs, soaring back to form by scoring 99 in 10 sixes during his second outing.
According to the 30-year-old wicketkeeper, Stokes is an intimidating cricketer to bowl at, and he hopes that his current form will extend into the 2021 season with the Rajasthan Royals. Buttler was speaking ahead of their third ODI series against India.
Buttler was fascinated by Stokes’ batting technique at No. 3, showing a significant improvement over the last few years. According to England’s stand-in captain, Strokes has only had several innings, and his World Cup performance (80 odd) was great. Buttler and the Rajasthan Royals squad understand Ben harbours’ talent, and he’s impressed with how tremendous his batting has improved to reach the next level over the last few years across all formats.
Despite his incredible growth in cracking sixes, Buttler wasn’t surprised that Stokes did this well at No 3. The skipper revealed that it has been impressive to watch Ben’s strong desire to bat. Stokes remains engaged in the game as much as he can, and it’s no surprise that he plays so well in his position to keep his fans coming for more. Buttler was speaking in a pre-match conference late last month, ahead of their game against India.
With so many cricketers available, Buttler believes it’s only logical that players will want to record as many deliveries as possible. Fortunately, the wealth of talent available in white-ball cricket today raises the competition in the game and increases the desire of the modern players to clear the ropes as mentioned by Betway Insider in an interview with top T20 stars. As such, it’s not surprising that Strokes played so well. It’s the perfect headache for the cricket management team, as it brings the best out of every cricketer and gives fans plenty of action to enjoy.
A Little About Ben Stokes Cricketing Career
A New Zealand native, Ben Stokes’s combative nature combined with his powerful physique and outrageous talent has taken England’s cricket to the next level. That was evident when he secured a spot in England’s cricket history with his indefatigable batting performance during the 2019 World Cup final. Ben also exhausted all his strength, willpower, and talent to record an unbeaten 84 before batting once more to secure a Super Over win by a narrow margin.
For Stokes, his performance in the 2019 World Cup was a moment of redemption after being popular for disappointing in at least two episodes. His first disappointing performance in International cricket came in Kolkata during the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup finals, after failing to defend 19 against West Indies in the last over. The second incident came in 2017, after getting broiled in a fight outside a club where he was celebrating the Bristol ODI Victory. Ben has cleared off all the charges from the event, although his reputation was already damaged.
Despite the two events that negatively impacted his career, Stokes’s prodigious talent was evident from an early stage. The true all-rounder made his debut for Durham at 17 years, dismissing Mark Ramprakash with his third delivery in senior cricket. Since then, Ben’s performances remain a rare bright spot in any squad he plays for. His talent made him an IPL millionaire twice after Rising Pune Supergiant bought him for 1.7 million euros in 2017. The following season, he joined the Rajasthan Royals for 1.4 million euros, making him among the most discussed cricketers in the IPL and international cricket.
What’s Next For Stokes?
With Ben’s incredible batting talent being evident to Jos Buttler and other teammates at the Rajasthan Royals, the team has settled on the two players for their opening combination this season. The Rajasthan Royals didn’t perform well last season after indecisiveness made them settle for a Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa combination.
Buttler and Stokes are expected to open for the Royals this season, although the franchise has remained very secretive about their opening combination. According to England’s white-ball captain Eoin Gerard Morgan, both Buttler, and Stokes keep getting better with the increase in their opportunities. It is the team’s responsibility to offer them opportunities in the greatest moments of the game. As such, the two cricketers are key towards Rajasthan’s quest to dominate the 2021 IPL season.
Among other combinations that Rajasthan tried out for the opening game on 12th April include Buttler-Steve Smith, Yashaswi Jaiswal-Smith, and Jaiswal-Buttler. The Stokes-Buttler combination was also tried out for two games. That indicates the Royals’ middle-order will feature cricketers like Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag, who lack experience. However, David Miller can step up to boost the middle-order.
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