Jos Buttler has lauded praise on veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid calling him the team’s ‘most important player’ after his game-changing spell in the third T20I on the England tour of India 2025.
Previously seven months ago England defeated West Indies in the T20 World Cup Super 8 stage, Buttler had emphasized Adil Rashid’s significance in the squad.
Despite India’s strong batting line-up, Rashid Khan struggled in check with his masterful four-over spell, conceding just 15 runs at an economy of 3.80 while claiming the crucial wicket of Tilak Varma who had been in red-hot form.
“The guys bowled really well, nice to show off their skills. Adil—he’s the most important player in our team, so many variations, so many different styles of bowling, fortunate to have him in our team,” Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
Adil Rashid finishes his spell 🙌
4⃣ overs
1⃣ wicket
1⃣5⃣ runs
1⃣0⃣ dot ballsA master at work 🧙♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZZwq3Ddkwn
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 28, 2025
England’s pacer Jofra Archer bounced back after an expensive spell in chennai, showing glimpses of his old self. He dismissed Sanju Samson early and later dismissed Axar Patel breaking a crucial partnership with Hardik Pandya.
“Jofra—don’t need to talk much about him—he’s a superstar, incredibly consistent. If he goes for 60, you know he’ll come back well,” added Buttler.
Ben Duckett provided England with a much needed boost in the powerplay. Combining with Buttler, he unleashed his unorthodox strokeplay to hammer 51 runs off 28 balls, to help the side to score a competitive total of 171/9.
“Ben Duckett is a difficult guy to stop, that’s why we felt he can do a job for us at the top. He played beautifully on what was a sticky pitch. 170 was a very good score, those wickets were crucial in the powerplay.”
“127-8 doesn’t bother me, if they say you can be disappointed with the way you play and score 170, I’ll take that,” Buttler remarked.
The Men in Blues leads the series 2-1 and India will be looking to seal the series win when the face England in the fourth T20I on January 31 at MCA Stadium in Pune.
