Jos Buttler had gone cold. Eight innings at last year’s T20 World Cup produced only 87 runs and raised familiar questions about form, eyesight and ageing reflexes. Ten weeks later, the Gujarat Titans keeper-batter is collecting fifties again and looks nothing like the man who averaged 10.87 in the Caribbean. How? He reckons it started with a pause.
“A little bit of space from the game and time to just kind of think and it sort of just came to me,” Buttler explained after his 60 from 37 balls steered GT to a second straight win. The knock was also his 100th half-century in Twenty20 cricket, a landmark he greeted with a broad smile rather than a choreographed celebration.
Early returns
• 38 (33) v Punjab Kings
• 26 (14) v Rajasthan Royals
• 52 (34) v Delhi Capitals
• 60 (37) v Lucknow Super Giants
Those numbers hardly scream reinvention, yet they matter because they follow the leanest period of Buttler’s short-format career. He admitted batting had felt “foggy” late last year.
“I’ve just been focusing a lot in the weeks I’ve been here on my set-up and my basics. I think a few technical issues maybe crept into my game, which actually allowed me not really see the ball that well.”
In short, stance and head position were off; the ball blurred earlier than usual. That is perilous in T20, where a split-second separates a lofted drive from a miscued swipe.
Guiding voice
Matthew Hayden, now GT’s batting consultant, spotted the problem quickly.
“When he speaks, you listen. In one of the first few sessions he asked me, ‘how well are you watching the ball? It doesn’t look like you’re tracking it that well’,” Buttler recalled. The Australian’s suggestion was simple—quiet the initial movement, keep the eyes level—yet immediately useful.
“Great players like him [come] with the most simple advice, which is nice,” Buttler added, half-laughing at the understatement.
The wider context
Players often tinker after poor tournaments, but experienced batters usually resist wholesale changes. Buttler’s adjustments are minor: a slightly more open stance and a gentler trigger movement. They allow him to pick up length earlier, then let his hands do the rest. The result so far is a strike-rate safely above 150 and, equally important, visible calm at the crease.
Family factor
Cricket grounds and hotel rooms blur together during the IPL’s two-month caravan, so Buttler has flown his wife and children to India.
“It’s great to have them here. Obviously, the cricket is high intensity and it’s busy. So, it’s nice to have them here and distractions away from the game and spend time with them.”
Small moments—schoolwork in the team hotel, park time on rare off-days—help him detach between games. That mental breather, he believes, feeds directly into the clarity he craved during the World Cup.
The road ahead
GT have started well, yet the schedule will tighten. Oppositions will probe Buttler’s supposed weak points: the short ball aimed at the body, the full slower ball outside off. How he counters them will reveal whether this is a fleeting spike or a sustained rebound. He sounds confident but realistic.
“I’ve been around for a while and it’s nice to be back scoring runs. Obviously, I had a bit of a lean patch in the last few months, so it’s nice to find some form and contribute to another win.”
For now, the Titans will take that. A veteran who sees the ball properly—and sees the bigger picture—remains a priceless commodity in the IPL.
