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England skipper Jos Buttler in action© BCCI
It hasn't quite gone the way England would have liked but skipper Jos Buttler on Wednesday said the ongoing tour of India is "as good a preparation as you can have" for this month's Champions Trophy given the similarities in conditions with Pakistan where his team will be based for the event. Buttler also believes that veteran batter Joe Root will play a pivotal role in both the ODI series against India, starting Thursday, and the upcoming Champions Trophy, given his experience.
England, coming off a disappointing 1-4 T20I series loss, have received a much-needed boost with Root's return. The seasoned batter, who has 171 ODIs under his belt, recently enjoyed a successful stint in SA20 with Paarl Royals, further reinforcing his form.
"Root is one of the great players of the game, so in all the formats here he's obviously been a vital part of ODI cricket for England for a long time," Buttler told reporters on the eve of the first ODI here.
"He's got loads of experience in ODI cricket, which would be great for some of the guys who haven't played as much in our group. He's been a vital player for England in all formats, and we feel like he's got a crucial role for us to play in these games." The ODI series serves as England's final preparation before the Champions Trophy, where Buttler and his team will begin their campaign against Australia on February 22 in Lahore.
"As preparation goes for any tournament, I think taking on India in India is always going to be a great challenge and as good a preparation as you can have," Buttler said.
"The conditions here in India may be similar (to those in Pakistan). Each ground that we play at always has their own nuances and a little bit of difference. We're always trying to adapt to that," he added.
The England captain reaffirmed his team's commitment to the aggressive brand of cricket that has come to define it.
"We want to find ways to put pressure on the opposition with the bat. You've got to take wickets, I think, and it's crucial you see how, if you let guys back for a period of time, they can go on to hurt you.
"So, we'll be desperate to try and find ways of taking wickets," he said.
"It's always about execution, really. Whether you want to be aggressive, you want to be conservative, you want to be measured, you've still got to go out there and execute it and play it well," he added.
Buttler was all praise for under-fire India skipper Rohit Sharma, who will look to regain form in the series.
"If I look back at that World Cup (2023), the two teams in the final were playing a really positive and aggressive round of cricket, you think of the way Travis Head took that final on with the bats, so you see it can be successful," he said.
"Obviously, Rohit takes a lot of credit for the way he's come out and played himself as a captain and pushed India more towards that style of cricket, so absolutely, we want to be exactly the same." The growth of T20 cricket and resurgence of Tests has raised serious questions over the relevance of the 50-over game, and concerns for its future. Buttler said he too understands the doubts.
"I'm unsure (about ODI's future). I've really enjoyed 50-over cricket. It's always been one of my favourite formats. But it's certainly been pushed a little bit towards the margins in the recent years and the way scheduling is, and obviously the rise of T20 and franchise cricket.
"But I still believe if you talk to guys about winning a World Cup, they'd probably say a 50-over World Cup ahead of a T20 World Cup at the moment. Whether that continues to be the case moving forward, I don't know," he said.
"But the schedules are always the thing. If you can get the best players on the park, playing against each other in whatever the format, I think people are always going to be excited to watch it," Buttler added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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