In another “final”, England will look to “push the boundaries” of their capabilities in ODI cricket, which has been their comfort zone over the last few years.
Addressing a virtual media conference on the eve of the final ODI in Pune, which is also the decider, stand-in captain Jos Buttler said such an approach has been the philosophy of regular skipper Eoin Morgan’s leadership.
“It’s great to be in another ‘final’. They are great games to be involved in. India are a fantastic side. They have a style of play and they’ve had a lot of success in doing so, but we tend to focus on ourselves as much as we can.
“We want to play in a certain fashion. We want to push the boundaries of what we are capable of as a side.
“The way I see cricket is very closely aligned to that of Eoin. Myself and Eoin have a very similar view on the game and that runs throughout the team as well,” he stressed.
The ODI series is all square at 1-1, but despite having an explosive batting line-up, England couldn’t win the T20I leg of the tour too even though they led 2-1 at one stage. However, one aspect that they have successfully been able to do is negate the wrist spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, smashing them apart whenever they erred in line or length.
“As a side, we are aggressive against most types of bowling and try and push the boundaries, trying to put pressure on the opposition. They are both fantastic bowlers and we have a lot of respect for them, but at the same time, we try and be aggressive to put the pressure right back on the opposition.
“That’s something we have improved on as an English cricket side, especially the way we play spin in white-ball cricket,” Buttler explained.
His own form in the 50-over format, though, has been a worry. “Yeah, it’s disappointing and I have played few games since that World Cup final.
“Hope I can put that away tomorrow,” Buttler said.
‘Most important’ IPL
Buttler, set to link up with the rest of the Rajasthan Royals squad in Mumbai on Monday, believes this edition of the IPL would be the most important as it serves as an ideal preparation for the coming T20 World Cup.
“To an extent, this year’s IPL will be most important. Playing in probably one of the biggest T20 competitions in the world with the best players before the World Cup would be brilliant preparation (before the showpiece event). So it’s a good time to have an IPL,” he said.
Speaking of Ben Stokes, who’s also his Royals teammate, Buttler hopes the all-rounder will remain as intimidating even in the IPL. “He has taken his batting to another level.
“He’s intimidating and hope he continues to be so for Royals too.”
