Jos Buttler blogs on scoring his first Test century, showing a different side to his batting, and “great of the game” James Anderson… ahead of the crunch clash with India at The Ageas Bowl…
It was a fantastic feeling, pure elation, to score a hundred for England in a Test match.
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Anderson homes in on McGrath record
There was a bit of relief in there as well to finally achieve it. It was a special moment for me personally and just disappointing that it came in a losing cause as India beat us at Trent Bridge.
I said it was my proudest moment in an England shirt because I hold Test cricket in really high regard. To come back into Test cricket and prove to myself that I have got the game to do well and score hundreds was extremely pleasing.
1:16 Watch highlights from Buttler's maiden Test ton, against India at Trent Bridge
It is a nice mental hurdle to overcome knowing that I have a hundred and a clear idea of how I achieved it – it’s no longer nagging away at me that I don’t have a Test century. Hopefully it’s the first of many.
I wouldn’t say I was desperate to reach three figures but I was aware I hadn’t got a hundred before and I felt it was something I needed to do.
All I ever try and do in any game is play to how I see the situation. It was nice to show that I can trust my defence, trust my judgment and not just go crash, bang, wallop. If we need a hundred off 100 balls or 10 off 100 balls, I’d like to think I can play accordingly.
A key part of my game-plan was to leave the ball well. I’ve always felt that when I’ve been successful in red-ball cricket it has been because I’ve left the ball well and sometimes in cricket the shots you don’t play are more important than the ones you do.
4:43 Trevor Bayliss says England's batsmen can learn from the way Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes applied themselves in Nottingham.
Stokesy [Ben Stokes] and I just tried to fight hard and bat as long as we could on day four in Nottingham – we tried to break it down into sections, half an hour at a time, and we got into a nice rhythm. It was an enjoyable partnership and hopefully we can use it as a blueprint going forward.
Virat Kohli didn’t say anything to me in particular when I got out, he just patted me on the back, which was a nice thing to do. This series has been played in a great spirit so far – tough and competitive, yes, but there is a lot of respect from both sides.
Jasprit Bumrah came into the India side at Trent Bridge and his quirky action does give you something different to think about.
His release points are a bit different but India have a lot of variety in their attack – Ishant Sharma has the height, Mohammed Shami has different angles, too. It’s a tough attack to come up against.
3:55 Ravi Shastri says India's pace attack is the best one they have ever had
Looking ahead to this Test and Jonny Bairstow seems okay. He has had a good bat in the nets and is desperate to play. He has been in fantastic form for a number of years and everyone is hopeful he will be fit.
I very much felt like a sub when I took over wicketkeeping duties from Jonny in the last Test – I had shine marks on my whites and they were a bit muddy, too!
It took a little while to get used to taking balls with the gloves on, so if I am asked to keep wicket in Southampton it will just be about catching a few and making sure I am prepared for the job.
England vs India
August 30, 2018, 10:00am
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Everyone has had a nice little break and got away from the bubble of cricket and now we are raring to go for this match. It’s one in which Jimmy Anderson could overtake Glenn McGrath as the highest wicket-taker among seamers in Tests.
Jimmy is a shining example to everyone – his skill levels, his work ethic, his competitiveness.
It’s an honour for us to be in the same team as him. It’s amazing to think I have been in the side with such a great of the game, which is what he will definitely go down as.
He has a cracking sense of humour, too – very witty, very dry – as well as a grumpy side!
I am also delighted to be re-joining Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash, as my spell with them last season really kick-started my year.
This time I’ll have Joe Root alongside me but I won’t reveal if there are any initiations he will have to go through. I’ll leave him sweating!
The IPL is probably the biggest domestic competition in the world in terms of the pressure but the Big Bash is a great competition, too, and Australia is a fantastic country.
There is also a great vibe in the Thunder dressing room – Shane Watson is a fantastic captain, Gurinder Sandhu is good fun and I know Callum Ferguson and Ben Rohrer a bit from playing with them at Melbourne Renegades.
Sticking with T20 and I’m looking forward to Vitality Blast Finals Day with Lancashire. It’s a brilliant occasion, a great day out and one you always pencil in your diary and hope to be part of.
I think I’d prefer not to play my old side Somerset in the final should we both get there, but if we do play them I know it will be a really tough game.
Watch the fourth Test between England and India from 10am on Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event.
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