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England everyone is ready to start their much anticipated white-ball tour of India with a five-match T20I seriesstarting on January 22, 2025, at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
England’s new chapter in white-ball cricket under Brendon McCullum
This series has a special meaning because it will mark the beginning of a new era below Brendon McCullumrecently appointed England’s white-ball coach. McCullum, who changed England’s Test side to “Baseball” strategy, now tasked with injecting fresh energy into the team’s limited strategies.
After the T20Is, England will take part in a three-match ODI series as part of their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025is scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan later this year. The tour is expected to test England’s adaptation to subcontinental conditions and their ability to move seamlessly between formats. For McCullum, this could be a golden opportunity to build on his philosophy in shorter forms, building on England’s already strong reputation in white-ball cricket.
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No Jos Buttler as England wicketkeeper for India T20Is
In a significant development ahead of the T20I series, McCullum revealed that If Buttler, The England captain and one of the most versatile players in modern cricket, does not wear wicketkeeping gloves. That means the responsibilities will be handed over to another option available in the squad ie Phil Saltwho has impressed as a wicketkeeper-batter in recent outings. This decision came from a combination of tactical considerations and Buttler’s physical handling.
Speaking during the pre-series press conference at the Eden Gardens, McCullum emphasized that this decision has benefited the team in many ways. This reduced Buttler’s workload, allowing him to concentrate on his captaincy and batting responsibilities, while also giving Salt a steady task to grow as a reliable gloveman. Salt’s dual capabilities with bat and glove add balance to the team, ensuring that England remain flexible in their line-up configurations.
“It’s a little early for that conversation. See, the thing he won’t do, he won’t keep wickets in this series. He’s going to catch them off the field and I think that’s a positive thing for us because it gives Josh the opportunity to have the last word with the bowler and to build that relationship at the last second rather than 22 yards away- on. And we have a lot of content storage options too,” McCullum said.
“I think when it comes to the T20, I think we can expect to be near the top of the order. Working out the intricacies of that will be done in the next 48 hours before we go into it. Look, we have a good squad. We have a lot of flexibility within the group. We have a lot of options that we can go to. It’s just trying to make sure that we can bring it all together.” McCullum concluded.
