Jos Buttler Reflects On 'Unfulfilled' Test Career: Wasn't Comfortable With My Identity...

Former England captain Jos Buttler led his country to a T20 World Cup title in 2022 and also played a pivotal role in them winning their first-ever ODI World Cup in 2019. Although he played 57 Tests for his country, he feels that his career in the format was unfulfilling and that he was not comfortable with his identity, unlike in limited-overs cricket.

"Unfulfilled, I would say," Buttler told BBC Test Match Special Podcast when asked to summarise his Test career. 

"I have played a lot of games. I was fortunate to play that many. I had periods in my Test career where I felt that I was understanding how I wanted to play, contributing to the team towards get some series wins. But never really had that for long enough. I was probably never entirely comfortable with my identity as a Test cricketer, and how I was going to play. And that is down to me. 

"I had huge support. Joe Root was a brilliant captain for me. He pushed me and believed in me. I had a couple of moments where I thought I had the breakthrough."

Buttler reveals there was a point during the 2018 series against India that he had found his groove, but despite coming into the series at the back of an excellent Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Buttler could not flourish.

"I had a brilliant IPL and came back into the side when Ed Smith came in as selector. I felt very in control of my game, very comfortable with how I was going to play," Buttler said.

"A specialist batter at No. 7 is probably unheard of, but it was kind of a free hit for me. It was great, but I never had it for long enough, and that's probably because I battled myself too much. I was probably too hard on myself. In one-day cricket, I always try to dominate the bowler, but I didn't work out how to do that in Test cricket. 

"I was probably I was too reactive to the ball coming down as opposed to try to impose my game and be in control. But I love Test cricket. It is the hardest exam you can do. But if you do it well, it was more fulfilling than any cricket you can play. I miss it. I wish I'd done better at it to still be playing."

Buttler, who stepped down as England's ODI captain after the 2023 debacle, says that the mega event completely shook him as captain. "The 2023 World Cup was incredibly difficult. Even though we played badly, we played way worse than I would think we could ever play. For that World Cup to happen the way it did, it was a huge confidence shock to my captaincy," he said.

Buttler is currently playing in The Hundred for the Manchester Originals and has been in good form, having hit 19, 64*, 57 and 46 in his last four innings.