Dhoni a big idol, great lesson to just watch him during IPL: Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler (IANS)

London, May 5: Dashing England wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler has said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has always been a big idol and while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) one lesson for him has been how the decorated former India captain manages all the fanfare and still performs in crunch situations.

"MS Dhoni has always been a big idol of mine and chaos is always going around him, people wanting a bit of him, the cricket and the noise.

"....it is such a great lesson to just watch him and see first hand how to manage all that thing if you have to perform at the top level and perform in those crunch moment, that certainly has been one of the massive pluses," Buttler said in an interview to Lancashire Cricket with Warren Hegg.

Buttler plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL which is the currently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 29-year old England's limited over vice-captain said the cash-rich T20 league has taught him how to handle pressure.

"It was one of pressures you have to learn, especially in India, as an oversees players, you are one of the four in the team and you know the other four who are not playing are also world-class players. So you are under pressure to perform," he said.

"So that's been a great learning curve. One of the things I came out with from the first IPL is to just learn to deal with the chaos."

"There is so much going on off the field, with adverts and stuff that you never done before, meet and greet and different things for different sponsors and then thinking about the game all the time and finding ways to switch off," added Buttler who started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians.

Talking about cricket being played behind closed doors, Buttler said: "An interesting thought about when cricket returns, if it comes behind closed doors and there is no fans and stuffs, I know that will be really strange for professional cricketers but in a funny sort of way it will take you back to what it was like when you first started.

"There is no one watching you and you are playing because you love the game. I know it will be different because you have experienced the other side of it but that is the most purest form of cricket, isn't it?"

Buttler added that he is hoping for some form of cricket to return this year.

"...one thing that sports does is it brings people together, give people hope. So hope there can be some form of cricket whether it is behind closed doors, or we play the Blasts, just a little bit of something, it would be great to see the boys on field again even if it is for TV, and get that enjoyment from sport again," he said.

"But sports is not on the top of tree with how things are going on. But fingers crossed, things can turn in the positive way as quickly as they went the other way."