Buttler praises England's batting depth ahead of India T20I series
What's the story
Ahead of the upcoming T20I series against India, England cricket team captain, Jos Buttler, has backed his team's batting depth.
He stressed on the need of having bowlers who can bat as well.
"That gives a lot of depth to the XI and confidence to the guys at the top that there's plenty [of batting] to come," Buttler said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Dual talents
Buttler highlights bowlers' batting skills
Further emphasizing the dual talents of his team's bowlers, Buttler said that their batting skills enable top-order players to play more freely.
He named Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Adil Rashid as examples of such versatile players in the squad.
"We're really blessed actually in terms of the bowlers that we have here," he said.
England's playing XI
England announce their playing XI
England announced their playing XI for the first T20I against India at Eden Gardens, a batting-friendly venue.
The team includes Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, and Jofra Archer.
Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell, with an impressive T20I average of 57.66 and a strike rate of 167.96 from six innings, also made the cut.
England XI: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Coach collaboration
Buttler excited to work with McCullum
Buttler also expressed his excitement about working with Brendon McCullum, who recently took over as England's Test coach.
He also noted that the team is in an ideal situation with crucial players like Mark Wood and Archer being injury-free.
"It's a really exciting tour coming to India with what I'd say is a full line-up for us," Buttler stated.
Bowling attack
A look at England's bowling attack for the series
The Three Lions' bowling attack stars pacers like Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Atkinson, and Saqib Mahmood.
Meanwhile, their spin attack features players like veteran Rashid, and youngster Rehan Ahmed.
Additionally, their all-round bowling attack features Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, and Surrey's pacer Jamie Overton.