'We are really blessed with bowlers England have' - Jos Buttler ahead of Kolkata T20I

India and England are all set to kick-start the five-match T20I series with the opening fixture at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22. The series, which will be followed by three ODIs, will see Suryakumar Yadav lead the Indian camp, while the Englishmen will play under the leadership of Jos Buttler. The visitors have already named their playing XI for the upcoming fixture, and boast a strong bowling attack, which may well pose a threat to the Indians.

Ahead of the match, Buttler addressed the media and shared the roles of the bowlers within the side, who can also play significant parts with the bat. The England captain further told that the kind of attack they have as a unit, gives it a very depth in all sorts of departments. 

“That (the squad) gives a lot of depth to the XI and confidence to the guys at the top that there's plenty [of batting] to come, so we can be really aggressive and, you know, not worry too much about our wicket, because we've got guys behind us who can do exactly the same job,” Buttler said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“We're really blessed actually in terms of the bowlers that we have here, on this tour. They're all very, very capable batters. I think if you look at guys like Gus Atkinson with a Test hundred, and then Brydon Carse is an excellent hitter of the ball, and then Adil Rashid down at No. 11 [No. 10 on the team sheet for the first T20I] who's got multiple first-class hundreds. So, yeah, I think we're very fortunate in that sense that a lot of our bowlers are very, very capable batters," the skipper added.

Also Read: IND vs ENG 2025: England name Playing XI for first T20I

New challenge for Jacob Bethell: Buttler

Furthermore, the Three Lions cricketer also stressed on the power that the youngster Jacob Bethell brings to the table. Notably, Bethell made his debut in the format in September 2024, and this will be his first visit to India as an English cricketer. Buttler feels that the tour may pose a great challenge for the youngster, especially since the series will be followed by the all-important ICC Champions Trophy.

“It's a new challenge for him to come and play in India, But I know he's excited [for it]. I think he's been someone who in English cricket has been talked about for a while knowing the talent he possesses, even when he's been playing in the Under-19s. So, he was a name you'd hear being talked about that he's gonna be a special player. And I think, you know, all credit to him. I think he's done brilliantly well coming into international cricket,” the wicketkeeper-batter told.