Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler has said that the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the inspiration behind the rise of wicketkeeper captains in the cash-rich T20 league, the IPL. However, in the ongoing IPL, four out of eight franchises will be led by wicket-keepers and Buttler said that the credit should go to Dhoni for setting the trend as well.
Apart from Dhoni, who has been leading Chennai Super Kings since the inaugural edition in 2008, three more keeper captains are there – KL Rahul (Punjab Kings), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals).
“I am sure MSD (Dhoni) has something to do with the sixth sense and breeding of wicketkeepers who can captain. He obviously has been a fantastic captain and there are lots of players who want to follow his footsteps,” Buttler told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview.
Buttler, who himself is a wicketkeeper, said that stumpers enjoy a great advantage as captains as they get a 360-degree view of the game as well. He also expects that the newly appointed captain Samson will do good as skipper and called Ben Stokes as the X-factor for Rajasthan Royals.
“I think a wicketkeeper has a brilliant view of the game. That can add to your decision making as you can see first-hand how the wicket is behaving and the way bowlers are bowling. We have lots of variety in the team this season with some world-class all rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Morris and a new captain. Sanju (Samson) is very exciting player and has a long affiliation with the franchise. He is a very calm person and likes to have fun. I am sure he would try and get that across to the team. There will be a lot of passion in his leadership. I strongly believe Ben Stokes will be the X-factor for our team in this season,” said Buttler.
Buttler has captained England in the final two ODIs of the three-match ODI series in India recently as the regular captain Eoin Morgan was injured and he said that the series was a great learning experience for him. England lost the series 2-1 as well.
“Playing against India in India is always the biggest challenge for England team. I mean playing against the best players and getting used to the conditions. Playing against some young Indian players was a great experience. I have enjoyed playing and captaining against India. I have learnt a lot about myself from that experience,” he said.
