IND vs ENG: Jos Buttler or Phil Salt? Brendon McCullum reveals who will keep wickets for England in T20I series

Jos Buttler will lead England on the white-ball tour of India, starting January 22.

England will begin their new era in white-ball cricket under new head coach Brendon McCullum, who has taken over as England’s all-format coach, having sat over the Bazball transition of the test team.

The upcoming five-match T20I series against India will be McCullum’s first as England’s limited-overs coach. It will be followed by a three-match ODI series against the same opposition before they fly to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

McCullum will work alongside white-ball captain Jos Buttler and an important decision they have taken is whether the skipper should don the wicket-keeping gloves or not.

Buttler had had a long injury layoff in 2024 due to a calf injury. Following England’s semi-final exit at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Buttler remained out of action for four months. He marked his return in November in the T20Is in West Indies but didn’t keep wickets there, handing over the duties to Phil Salt.

McCullum has confirmed that Jos Buttler will play as a proper batsman, while Salt will continue to don the keeping gloves against India in the T20I series.

Speaking from Eden Gardens in the pre-series press conference, the England coach said, “It’s really a really positive thing for us, because it gives Jos the opportunity to have the last say with the bowler, and to have that relationship built at that last second, rather than from 22 yards away. We’ve got great keeping options [in Salt] within the side as well.”

Brendon McCullum speaks on his philosophy as new England white-ball coach

Under Buttler, while England won the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, they failed to reach the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023 and were knocked out in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. It led to then coach Matthew Mott’s resignation.

McCullum asserted that winning games will be on his mind but the “conversations and the language” in the dressing room under him would be more about the style of cricket they play.

“Obviously, we want to win every game we play, to try and be successful, and that’s ultimately the mission for us. But our conversations and the language which we use within the dressing-rooms is quite different.

“It’s about trying to get the best out of the talent that sits within the dressing room, trying to gel the guys as best we can, trying to work out complementary skills, and how we how we play the style of cricket that gives us our greatest chance,” the head coach added.

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