Eden Gardens is not unfamiliar to Brendon McCullum, having played for Kolkata Knight Riders here in the IPL.

It is only apt that he makes his debut as the England head coach in the limited-overs format at this very venue which was ‘home’ to him for several years.

England have been riding the Bazball wave in Test cricket but the former New Zealand captain will have a tough task in hand when they face India in the opener of the five-match series on Wednesday.

McCullum played under his counterpart Gautam Gambhir during KKR’s title-winning campaign in 2012 and the two share immense respect towards each other.

“What I will say about Gautam Gambhir is that I’ve worked with him before. He’s an outstanding leader. He’s a really strong leader of men, and in the time that he’s had in any sort of leadership positions he’s held previously, he’s been able to excel,” McCullum said on Monday.

“He’s only just sort of got underway with this team, but I have no doubt that he’ll get the best out of the talent that he’s got. And then we’ve got to find a way to be able to counter that with our own style.”

Britain - August 20, 2024 England head coach Brendon McCullum during practice

England’s limited overs fortunes have drastically dropped since 2022 when they won the T20 World Cup title under Jos Buttler’s leadership and McCullum faces a huge task ahead.

“I’m desperate for us to play a really watchable brand of cricket,” McCullum said. “With the talent we have, there’s no reason we can’t.”

The five T20Is and three ODIs will be his chance to get a grasp of the team before they move to the eight-team ODI Champions Trophy, starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.

“We’ll use the next few weeks to try and hit the ground running, I’m sure there will be times where we don’t quite get it right,” he remarked.

“But, hopefully, we will chisel away at that over the next few weeks, and we’ll be in good shape come that Champions Trophy.”

McCullum has confidence in captain Buttler.

“He’s in a really good space, he’s excited about the team we’ve got, and excited about the opportunity that sits in front of us,” he said.

McCullum knows the trick lies in creating a “happy environment” for the players to excel. “You know, from how I try and operate, I think it’s probably less of a coach and more about trying to make sure that the environment is a happy and enjoyable one, where you guys feel as if they can push their talents and push themselves towards uncomfortable situations...”

Salt injury

Phil Salt was struck on the finger during fielding drills on Monday. However, there didn’t seem to be any cause for worry since he later batted at nets.