IND vs ENG 2022 | No merit in claims of my Test return, reveals Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler has made clear that his focus lies on limited-overs cricket in the immediate future, nipping any rumours of a Test return in the bud. The newly anointed white-ball captain of England has been in the stupendous form of late in the shorter formats of the game. Buttler accumulated a massive haul of 863 runs in the IPL, before smashing an unforgettable 162* in an ODI against the Netherlands last month.

This has led to calls of him returning to the Test setup, seeming like a perfect fit for Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ aggressive cricketing philosophy. Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara had backed him up for the role of an opener in the red-ball side, with retired England batsman Michael Vaughan seconding the opinion. However, Buttler has laid to rest all such reports, having last featured unsuccessfully in the England all-whites during the Ashes earlier in the year.

"I thought someone had written the wrong story, to be honest. I don't think there is much merit in that,” Buttler said to BBC. 

England recently marauded their way to a dominating 3-0 series win against reigning World Test champions New Zealand. They employed an entertaining style of gameplay to put the opponent under pressure, scoring freely with the bat to chase down three difficult totals. Buttler admitted to enjoying the action from the sidelines while reasserting his plans to maintain the status quo for the moment.

"No, it's been fantastic to watch the test team over the last few weeks, so I've thoroughly enjoyed tuning in as a fan. It's been incredible to watch - you're gripped to your seat, aren't you? To see what they're doing has been brilliant. I've loved watching them and I hope it continues. There's no red ball in my bag at the minute," the wicketkeeper-batsman concluded.