Buttler leans on calm headspace as he aims return to top form

BENGALURU, March 30 : Former England captain Jos Buttler is determined to reassert himself at the top level by staying in the right mental space, insisting his priority is to shed pressure and allow performances to flow rather than force them.

The 35-year-old endured a difficult Twenty20 World Cup, scoring only 87 runs in eight matches as England were knocked out by India in the semi-finals earlier this month.

Buttler will now look for a fresh start with Indian Premier League side Gujarat Titans, where he is expected to play a key role.

He acknowledged, however, that expectations have followed him throughout his international career and can be a double-edged sword.

"Expectations can be something that can obviously help you at times because you want to live up to those standards and practice and perform well but they can be limiting at times," Buttler told Reuters.

"My own drive and desire to play well is always the same, but just managing those expectations with lots of variables in the game of cricket that I can't control.

"Making sure I'm in a nice headspace, that I'm not trying to live up to something."

Buttler said he is not putting pressure on himself about his future, including thoughts about selection for next year's one-day World Cup, as he focuses on contributing whenever called upon.

"My ambition will always burn strongly to play cricket for England," said Buttler, who captained the side to the 2022 T20 World Cup title.

"I don't want to look too far ahead to put time frames on anything... we'll just wait and see on that. I'll always love playing for England."

IPL DOMINANCE

Buttler, England's highest run-scorer in IPL history with 4,120 runs in 121 matches, hopes to replicate his success from last season with Gujarat, who