'Judging by the Bumrah question...': Buttler's epic reply to journalist's 'Is Pant the most audacious player' - Watch
Following the loss, Buttler was asked about his opinion on Pant and how difficult it is for a captain to set the field and a game plan for a player of his talent. But the England captain gave a Jasprit Bumrah mention in his epic reply to the journalist.
England captain Jos Buttler may look like a serious cricketer on the field, but on Sunday, he showed his witty side as well as he responded to a Rishabh Pant question after the hosts lost by five wickets in Manchester to concede the three-match ODI series 1-2 against India. Pant played a brilliant knock, scoring his maiden ODI century en route to his unbeaten knock of 125 runs as India chased down the target of 260 with five wickets in hand and 7.5 overs to spare. Following the loss, Buttler was asked about his opinion on Pant and how difficult it is for a captain to set the field and a game plan for a player of his talent. But the England captain gave a Jasprit Bumrah mention in his epic reply to the journalist.
Here is how the conversation took place between Buttler and the reporter…
Reporter: Is Risbabh Pant the most audacious stroke-player of this generation and is it almost impossible to plan against him as a captain?
Buttler: Judging by the Bumrah question, you can make your own assumption again. But Rishabh is a fantastic player and again, if you give him a second chance, he will hurt you.
Reporter: What sets him apart from other stroke-players?
Buttler: I think there are numerous stroke-players around the world. Rishabh is a fearless player, is great to watch, brilliant across formats. He is an exciting player and it is his mentality that sets him apart. I think he gets great backing to go and play however he wants to play.
Now there is a reason why Buttler mentioned Bumrah in his reply. Following India's win in the first ODI by 10 wickets, the same reporter had left the England skipper irked with his repeated questions on whether he agreed with former England captain Naseer Hussain's on-air comment that Bumrah is the best all-format bowler in the world at present.
While Buttler hailed the India pacer saying, "There's no doubt that he's a fantastic bowler. He's been one of the leading bowlers in the world for a number of years now. And it looks like he's going from strength to strength." The reporter once again posed the same question in search for a clear answer. Buttler, annoyed by the repetition, replied saying, "You decide!"