The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended mid-way after a surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The players associated with the league had to pack their bags and depart to their respective countries or the interim routes that led to their home.
In such a dismal atmosphere, Jos Buttler did his best to cheer things up. Ahead of leaving for his home country, Buttler gave his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal one of his bats with a message that read, “To Yash, enjoy your talent. Best Wishes.”
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captured the warm moment and took to their social media handle to post the image “A special gift from a special opening partner,” read the caption.
A special gift from a special opening partner. 💓#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @yashasvi_j | @josbuttler pic.twitter.com/VE3QIE0kct
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 4, 2021
The Englishman amassed 254 runs in seven matches this season at an extraordinary strike rate of 153.01.
Initially, Buttler occupied the middle order of the RR batting line-up before being asked to open as his compatriot Ben Stokes was ruled out of the T20 tournament due to a finger injury.
Still, the Sanju Samson-led side had to experiment with their opening combinations as the other batter, Manan Vohra, failed to impress. It was finally in their fifth header against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that RR got Yashasvi Jaiswal in the playing 11, who proved to be the right partner for Buttler.
Meanwhile, according to a statement by an English spokesman to Reuters, eight of his nation’s players- Jonny Bairstow, Buttler, Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Sam Curran and Tom Curran– reached London on Wednesday.
Eoin Morgan, Dawid Malan, and Chris Jordan will leave India in the next 48 hours.
