NEW DELHI: England captain Jos Buttler expressed confidence that the upcoming T20I series against India would not disrupt their preparations for the Champions Trophy, while also emphasising his eagerness to establish a strong working relationship with new head coach Brendon McCullum.
The ODI-format Champions Trophy is scheduled to begin on February 19, with England set to play only three 50-over matches against India before the prestigious tournament.
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Speaking on the eve of the first T20I at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Buttler said, "It's going to be a great series against a really top side in their own conditions. There's so much to look forward to. I'm not worried about schedules at the moment. I'm just excited to play some games."
Buttler highlighted the appeal of the series, adding, "I think it's going to be a really exciting T20 series. There are ODIs to follow as well, so yeah, I'm just looking forward to the games."
McCullum, England's red-ball coach, has recently taken over as the head coach for the limited-overs formats, succeeding Matthew Mott. Buttler expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with the New Zealander in the white-ball setup.
"Obviously, it's not entirely a new setup because Baz (McCullum) has been involved for a while," Buttler noted. "A lot of players in this squad have worked with him in the Test team over the years. I'm looking forward to building that relationship in the white-ball format."
England have travelled to India with a full-strength squad, featuring pace spearheads Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
"Sometimes there's so much cricket that certain players need to be rested or managed, but that's not the case for us in this series. We've got a full complement of players, which is really exciting. With Baz joining the white-ball setup for the first time, there's plenty to look forward to here and now," Buttler said.
He also praised the depth of England's lineup, especially the versatility of their bowlers.
"I think we're really blessed with the bowlers on this tour. They're all very capable batsmen too. If you look at someone like Gus Atkinson, who has a Test hundred, Brydon Carson is a fantastic hitter, and even Adil Rashid, sometimes batting at 11, has multiple first-class centuries."
Buttler believes this depth allows the top-order players to play with freedom.
"It gives a lot of confidence to the guys at the top. There's plenty of firepower down the order, so we can be really aggressive and not worry too much about losing wickets. The players behind can step in and perform the same role," he added.
