MUMBAI: It's not been an easy phase in Jos Buttler's cricket career. One of the most explosive white-ball batters in the world, he had a tough time as the England team captain.

After England lost all three matches at the Champions Trophy played in February-March, he stepped down from the leadership role.

Picked up by Gujarat Titans during the mega auction for ₹15.75 crore, he didn't come into the IPL 18 in an ideal frame of mind. Quite remarkably, though, he has again come to the T20 league and flicked on a switch to be at his best.

True to his record as a brilliant top-order player in the IPL, with 3748 runs (average of 39.04, SR 148.49), he is averaging 83 in three matches (SR 172.92) with knocks of 54 off 33 balls, 39 off 24 balls and 73* off 39 balls.

From a cricketer who looked under a lot of pressure during the Champions Trophy, he is now thriving. So, what has changed for Buttler?

"Yeah, (I am) feeling good. New team, new tournament, obviously not captain of the England white ball stuff anymore, so not spending time worrying about that or thinking about the recent results. Obviously, it was a tough time, we were not performing well. Any time as a captain when you are not getting the best out of your team it can take its toll on you. This, I have quite enjoyed, sort of focussing on myself and not worrying about anything else, and practicing with the bat," Buttler said on Friday.

His England captaincy stint had started on a bright note when he led them to the 2022 T20 World Cup title in Australia, but he couldn't get his side to repeat that showing again. The 2023 ODI World Cup in India didn't go as per plan for the defending champions; they lost in the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup where also they were defending the title. The ICC Champions Trophy was the final nail which convinced him that his time as a leader was up.

So, what's the difference between paying for club and country?

"Obviously, it is different, there is different pressure in the IPL, it's a massive tournament, huge crowds, massive expectations, that adds to the pressure. When you are playing for your country, there is pressure of representing your country to do well and wanting to do well playing against the best teams (in the world). Managing that and not allowing it to affect your performances is sometimes easier said than done. It's about trying to play your game and not be affected by the things that are happening outside your control," Buttler said, explaining the high-pressure nature of the job in both the roles.

A dashing batter, Buttler, was among the players who first started to innovate and bat without fear to open the field for 360-degree strokeplay. Suryaumar Yadav is another of his ilk. It was interesting to see the two brilliant stroke-players exchange notes on the Narendra Modi Stadium ground during the warm-up ahead of the game between GT and MI, last week.

"Well, I love watching Surya bat. He is one of the best players in this format for a while now. Any time I see him bat, I can't work out that flick over fine-leg he plays. I was sort of saying to him when are you going to teach me that shot? I love watching guys bat and I love watching them practice. I can't work out that shot," he said.

Buttler has seen the game evolve from when a handful of batters were known for innovative batting, to now everyone playing the 360-degree game. He spelt out how he has seen batting evolve since he made his international debut in 2011 and then joined IPL.

"Everyone always follows something; someone will be a disruptor, or change something or try something new, and if he is successful then everyone will want to emulate and copy. Like you say, the way cricket has evolved, the majority of the players are pretty much 360 batters. Everyone's attitude to risk is a bit different, (and) those kind of shots aren't seen as high risk as they used to be. Now (they) practice them so much so they are accomplished (at executing them). That has been the big shift, the number of batters now, the feeling that it is not actually a risk at all."

So, what is the key to executing those daring behind the wicket shots? "Commitment is the thing to most things. When you are playing (them), you have got to be fully committed in your being."