 | « Back to article | Print this article |
England captain Jos Buttler is confident the five-match T20I series against India will not disrupt their preparations for next month's ICC Champions Trophy. Buttler also expressed optimism about developing a strong working relationship with new white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum during the tour.
The eight-team Champions Trophy, which will be played in the 50-overs format, will start from February 19. England will play just three 50-over matches against India in the run-up to the marquee tournament.
"It's going to be a great series against a really top side in their own conditions. There is loads to look forward to. I am not worried about schedules at the moment. I am just looking forward to playing some games," Buttler said on the eve of the first T20I at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
"I think it's going to be a really exciting T20 series. Obviously, there's some ODIs to follow, so yeah, I am just looking forward to the games," he added.
McCullum, the red-ball coach, had succeeded Matthew Mott as England's limited over formats coach, and Buttler wanted to build the bond with the Kiwi.
"Obviously, it's not a new setup because Baz (McCullum) has been around for a while," Buttler said.
"There are a lot of players in this squad who have worked with him in the Test team over the years. So, yeah, I am just looking forward to building that relationship in the white-ball setup."
England have arrived in India with a full-strength squad with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood leading the pace department.
"Sometimes there is so much cricket that certain players have to be rested or managed, but that is certainly not the case for us at all in this series.
"So we are a full complement of players, which is really exciting. Obviously, Baz is coming into the white-ball setup for the first time, and there is plenty to look forward to here and now."
He further mentioned that bowlers like Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carson, and Adil Rashid, who has multiple first-class centuries, provide depth to the line-up.
"I think we are really blessed, actually, in terms of the bowlers that we have here on this tour. They are all very, very capable batsmen. I think if you look at guys like Gus Atkinson with a Test hundred, Brydon Carson is an excellent hitter, and even Adil Rashid sometimes is down at 11 who's got multiple first-class 100s.
"I think we are very fortunate in that sense it gives a lot of confidence to the guys at the top. There's plenty to come, so we can be really aggressive and not worry too much about our wicket, because we have got guys behind who can do exactly the same job," he added.
Buttler also praised young talent Jacob Bethell, who has been making waves in English cricket.
"He has done brilliantly well coming into international cricket. He has got a good head on his shoulders and obviously he's got the game for it, as you've seen in the white-ball stuff.
"Moving into Test cricket, it was fantastic to watch him in New Zealand. This is again a new challenge for him, playing in India, and one I know he's excited for," Buttler said.
As for England's playing XI, Buttler indicated that the team is almost settled, with some final decisions pending on the bowling front.
"Yeah, pretty much. Just waiting on a couple of the bowlers to see how they pull up through training. Phil Salt will keep wickets. He's obviously been playing brilliantly in T20 cricket for a while now.
"Ben Duckett will be with him at the top of the order. Jofra will play, Woody will play, and then we are just waiting on a couple of bowlers," he said.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w/k), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (w/k).
England: Jos Buttler (captain, w/k), Harry Brook (vice-captain), Phil Salt (w/k), Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Mark Wood.
Match: 1st T20 International starts at 7pm IST.
Where to watch: England's tour of India will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network. The Live telecast will be streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app.