Jos Buttler needs 31 runs in series opener vs India to become 1st batter to bag rare feat in T20Is against 2 oppositions

England's T20 World Cup 2022-winning captain Jos Buttler is 31 runs away to scripting T20I history. In the T20I series opener against Shreyas Iyer-led India, Buttler has a chance to complete 700 T20I runs against them. In doing so, he will become the first batter in T20I history to score 700 or more runs against two different oppositions (nations). 

Buttler already has 701 runs against West Indies. Currently, he is the leading T20I run-scorer against India. From 25 T20I innings against India, he has scored 669 runs, averaging 31.85. He has five fifties against India and scores at a strike rate of 143.87. The wicketkeeper-batter also has most runs in India-England T20I history, 21 more than former India T20I batter Virat Kohli (648 runs).

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As the five-T20I series progresses, Buttler can also break Pakistan's Babar Azam's record for most T20I runs against a single opposition. Babar has 880 runs against New Zealand from 24 innings. Babar is followed by Kohli with 794 runs from 22 innings against Australia.

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Buttler is the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is. First is Babar with 4,596 runs, followed by Rohit (4,231 runs) and Kohli (4,188 runs). Buttler has 4,037 runs from 155 T20Is, including a ton and 28 fifties.

Buttler not in form in international arena

However, Buttler has not got form on his side in T20Is. He endured a horrible T20 World Cup 2026 on Indian soil. His last T20I fifty came 15 T20I innings ago. He scored 83 against South Africa in September 2025.

But, he had a good run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for runner-ups Gujarat Titans (GT). From 17 innings, he scored 526 runs, averaging 37.57, including four fifties.

Abhishek to enter top five

India opener Abhishek Sharma has an impressive record against England, scoring 288 runs from six innings at a strike rate of 214.92, including a ton and a fifty. He needs 73 more runs to enter list of top five run-scorers in India-England T20I history. After Buttler and Kohli, third spot is taken by Rohit Sharma (467 runs), followed by Hardik Pandya (441 runs) and Suryakumar Yadav (360 runs).

The T20I series will commence on July 1 at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. The Indian team is low on confidence after a historic series defeat to Ireland. On the other hand, this will be England’s first T20I match after their defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.