England star Jos Buttler has declared his intention to be "fearless" as he prepares for his first Ashes 2021 series in Australia. On the first day of the warm-up game against the England Lions, there are concerns around the new Covid-19 strain, which is spreading around the world. However, Buttler said though it has been a disjointed season he is "excited to experience the good the bad", as well as the "highs and lows" in his maiden Ashes series in Australia.

Also Read: Ashes 2021: Pat Cummins becomes the Australian captain, Steve Smith named vice-captain

Butler took the Australian Test bowling attack apart less than a month ago at the T20 World Cup. He smashed an epic 71 off just 32 balls that delivered the eventual champions their only loss of the tournament.

Buttler, who has not played red-ball cricket in Australia, said, "I feel like I have nothing to lose, to be honest. It's sort of been disjointed, that (year) just gone. Some good form and some bad form and in the year before as well."

Jos Buttler opens up about his maiden Ashes(2021) series :

It's the first time I'm experiencing an Ashes series (in Australia). So, I'm fully determined to enjoy all the challenges that throw up. I'm excited to experience it, the good the bad, and I'm sure the highs and lows along the way,"

Buttler told espncricinfo on Tuesday.

"As a player at the minute, I'm trying to bring a fearless approach and to truly try and embrace the opportunity. I know when I get to somewhere near my best that's going to be pretty good."

Buttler would be hoping for a decent warm-up game time given that he was not a part of England's most recent Test. However, the test was against India at The Oval, due to paternity leave. He was due to regain his place for the fifth Test at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, the Old Trafford test got canceled after a Covid-19 breach in the India camp.

Read Also: Ashes 2021: Tim Paine is out of the series after taking an indefinite break

Buttler had also missed the two-Test series against New Zealand earlier this year due to his engagement with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Moreover, his form was patchy in the five innings he plays against India, managing 72 runs in five innings.

Given the scenario, Buttler would be drawing heavily on his experience of playing extensive white-ball cricket in Australia. He averages 38.71 from 18 ODIs and has played five T20 Internationals. He also has had stints in the Big Bash League with Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder.

Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has produced some brilliant batting performances, each more devastating than the other. Some batters gradually become the face of the franchise. IPL teams also heavily depend on them to deliver consistent performances and do the bulk of run-scoring.

In this article, we will take a look at those batters with nost runs in an edition of IPL.

Also Read: Most valuable player in each season of IPL

Most runs in an edition of IPL

5. Sai Sudharsan (2025) | 759 Runs

Gujarat Titans' Sai Sudhaesan surpassed 750 runs in IPL 2025 to sign off with a tally of 759 from 15 matches at 54.21. He registered his 6th fifty of the season (100s: 1). He hit 88 fours and 21 sixes, striking at 156.17.

He also won the IPL 2025 Orange Cap award. This also makes Sai Sudharsan, 23 years and 237 days old when IPL 2025 ended, the youngest IPL Orange Cap history, surpassing the previous record held by GT captain Shubman Gill, who was 23 years and 263 days old when he won the award in IPL 2023.

4. David Warner (2016) | 848 Runs

David Warner’s explosive starts at the top are something SRH fans will never forget. Warner’s meteoric rise in the IPL began with his exploits in the 2016 season, when he guided the team to the final and helped them win their first IPL trophy. Warner scored nine half-centuries in the event, averaging more than 60. He had his greatest season with the bat, scoring 848 runs in 17 matches.

Despite scoring a staggering 848 runs, Warner finished as the second-highest run-scorer in 2016 as Kohli's 973 runs trumped him.

3. Jos Buttler (2022) | 863 Runs

Jos Buttler has been a consistent performer for Rajasthan Royals ever since he signed for the team before the Indian Premier League 2018 season.

In 2022, the Englishman went on a scoring spree, notching up four hundreds and as many fifties for his tally of 863 runs that won him the Orange Cap, awarded to the leading run-scorer in IPL each season. He averaged 57.53 from 17 matches that season scoring runs at a healthy strike rate of 149.05, taking the Royals to their first final after the inaugural edition in 2008.

2. Shubman Gill (2023) | 890 Runs

Gujarat Titans talisman took his batsmanship to astronomical heights in the 2023 edition of the IPL. Shubman Gill delivered consistent batting performances throughout the season to amass a staggering 890 runs in 17 matches at an impressive average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80. 

Apart from winning the coveted Orange Cap, Gill recorded the second-highest runs in a single IPL season, only behind Virat Kohli. Gill also smashed three centuries in IPL 2023, including a blazing 129 against the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 to register the highest individual score in an IPL Playoff game. 

Also Read: Most successful teams in T20 leagues around the world

1. Virat Kohli (2016) | 973 Runs

The 2016 IPL season saw Virat Kohli elevate his batting to a level never seen before. He amassed 973 runs in 16 matches, coming agonisingly close to becoming the first player to score 1,000 runs in a single IPL season. With an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03.

Interestingly, no other batter has scored 900 or more runs in an IPL season. Kohli led RCB to the final that year as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Cricket Australia on Friday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup 2025. The Australian team will enter the World Cup under the leadership of experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Alyssa Healy. Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux and allrounder Georgia Wareham have returned to the squad after recovering from injury.

The seven-time champion Australia is also the defending champion and will look to maintain its dominance in the upcoming competition. This tournament will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2.

Also Read: ICC Women's World Cup 2025: Prize money in Women's World Cup sets history, rise of 297 percent from the last edition

Players return from injuries

Sophie Molineux has been out since January due to a knee injury. However, she will not be able to play in the three-match ODI series against India from 14 to 20 September. Darcie Brown and Georgia Wareham also returned to the squad from recent injuries.

Ten of the 15 members named featured in the previous edition of the tournament back in 2022, with skipper Alyssa Healy taking charge of the squad in her third Cricket World Cup.

Australia to begin campaign on October 1

The Australia also includes 10 players who were also part of the last tournament played in 2022. This team also includes experienced players like Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath and Ash Gardner. Australia will begin its campaign against New Zealand in Indore on October 1.

Australia will finalise its preparations for the mega event with three ODIs against hosts India from September 14-20 in New Chandigarh and New Dehli, before opening its Women's ODI World Cup 2025 campaign.

Australia will face each of the other seven nations across the round-robin format, with the top four sides progressing to the semi-finals on October 29 and 30. The Final will be played November 2.

Also Read: ICC Women’s World Cup 2025: Indian squad announced, Shefali Verma not in the team

Women's ODI World Cup 2025: Australia Squad

Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.

Team India will play the fifth and final Test match against England at Kennington Oval in London, which starts on July 31. If India has to level the series, then it is important for them to win this match. So far, England is leading 2-1 in this 5 match Test series. They won the first and third Tests while Team India won the second Test. The fourth Test match between the two was a draw.

In the final match, India will aim to replicate their Edgbaston’s performance to beat the hosts and for that, they will have to form a formidable playing XI against the English side. 

Prior to the massive game, here is everything you need to know before the ENG vs IND fifth test match at Kennington, Oval in London.

Also Read: India’s Test records at Kennington Oval, London

Match Details

• Match: England vs India
• Tournament: India tour of England, 5th Test
• Date: 31 July 2025
• Time: 3:30 PM IST
• Venue: Kennington Oval, London

Streaming Details

The ENG vs IND 5th Test will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.

The viewers can watch the India vs England 5th Test live telecast on the Sony Sports Network.

ENG vs IND: Head-to-head stats

Pitch Report: Kennington Oval

The ugly verbal spat between India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and Oval’s pitch curator has been the major talking point ahead of the fifth Test. Keeping that aside, the pitch matchday minus day two looked quite greenish. However, the groundsman will cut some grass on the eve of the clash.

This means the pacers will do the talking, especially with the brand new red Dukes cherry. This domestic season, seamers have ruled the roost as well, having picked up 131 of the 150 wickets that have fell in 5 games.

Moreover, since 2019, the average score has been less than 300 across all the four innings in Tests at Kennington Oval. This all sums up that we might have a low-scoring affair, favouring seamers.

Weather Report

The weather prediction for London on Day 1 is for partly overcast conditions with a few afternoon showers. A full day of play is anticipated on Day 2, which is predicted to be sunny.

The third day will be lovely and transparent. There will probably be rainy periods on Day 4. Long stretches of sunlight on Day 5 will allow for another full day of recreation.

Also Read: Most runs in a series in Tests

ENG vs IND Predicted XI

England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer/Gus Atkinson.

India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

The Anderson-Tendulkar series between India and England has now reached an exciting stage. Four matches of this five-match series have been completed so far. England is leading the series 2-1.

The final match of this exciting series will be played at Kennington Oval, London. Victory is a must for Team India in this final and decisive Test match to be held from July 31. However, the record of the Indian team on this ground has been worrying, due to which the match is expected to be even more challenging. Team India faces the difficult challenge of defeating England in the last Test and ending the series on a draw.

Also Read: Most runs in a series in Tests

India’s Test records at Oval

India has played a total of 15 Test matches at Kennington, Oval so far. Out of which 14 matches have been played between India and England, while one match was the final of the World Test Championship between India and Australia.

In these matches, India has won only twice, while it has faced defeat six times. The remaining seven matches have ended in a draw. These figures show that this ground has not been easy for India.

India played its first Test match on this ground in August 1936, in which it lost to England by 9 wickets. After this, the matches held in 1946 and 1952 were drawn, but in 1959 India had to face a crushing defeat by an innings and 27 runs.

Also Read: Most Runs for India in a Test Series

First victory in 1971

India got its first victory at the Oval in the year 1971. This victory is counted among the golden moments of Indian cricket history. Under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar, India defeated England by 4 wickets and registered its first big Test victory abroad. This victory proved to be a milestone for Indian cricket at that time.

A long string of defeats

From 1979 to 2007, India played five Test matches here, all of which were draws. India struggled during these years, but victory remained elusive. After this, a series of defeats started in 2011, when England defeated India by an innings and 8 runs. In 2014, India again lost by an innings and 244 runs, which was one of its biggest defeats at that time. In 2018 also, India had to face defeat by 118 runs.

Historic victory of 2021

However, in 2021, India performed its best at the Oval and defeated England by 157 runs. This victory was the biggest victory ever for Team India on this ground. In that match, both the bowlers and the batsmen performed brilliantly, which gave new energy to India's confidence.

WTC Final disappointment

In July 2023, India played the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) against Australia at the Oval. However, in this title match, India had to face defeat by 209 runs and another disappointing record was added to the Oval.

Also Read: Most wickets vs England in England for India in tests | Bumrah leads the list

India’s Test records at Oval match-wise

India’s Test records at Oval performance-wise

• Highest Total: 664 vs England in 2007
• Lowest Total: 94 vs England in 2014
• Best Batting: Sunil Gavaskar (221) in 1979
• Best Bowling: BS Chandrasekhar (6/38) in 1971

The Nation England has produced some extraordinary Batsmen in Cricket. They have impressed Cricket fans from all over the world with their achievements and glory. The test is considered the Best Format in Cricket. England has & had some players who are the best among many in the world of Test Cricket. Sir Jack Hobbs is considered the Best Test Batsman for England in Tests. He has scored 5410 runs in just 102 innings with 15 centuries and 28 half-centuries.

In recent times of greats, Joe Root has proven himself one of the greatest if not the greatest for England in Test Format as he has every right due to his achievements. Now, Let's give a look at the list of the Top 5 Batsmen with the most test centuries for England.

Read Also: Most International Hundreds among Active Players

Top 5 Batsmen with the Most Test Centuries for England:

1. Joe Root | 38 Centuries

England batter Joe Root has written his name in the history books for England in Test Format by bringing up his 38th Test hundred on the third day of the fourth Test between England and India in Manchester. With this century, Root also climbed to second on the all time list of Test run-scorers. Moreover, he also overtook Graham Gooch as the highest run-scorer at Lord's in international cricket. 

Root made his debut in 2012 against team India and since then he has played 157* test matches. He has scored 13,409 runs with an average of 51.17.

2. Alastair Cook | 33 Centuries

Alastair Cook was one of the greats in Test Cricket of his generation. He made his debut against India in 2006 for the national team in Test Cricket. Cook played 161 Test matches in which he batted 291 innings. He scored 12,472 runs with an average of 45.35. His highest score was 294 and he made 33 centuries and 57 half-centuries for his team. Cook played his last Test Match against India in 2018.

3. Kevin Pietersen | 23 Centuries

Kevin Pietersen has proved himself across every format for England. He made his Test debut in 2005 against the Australian side at Lords. Pietersen played 104 test matches, in which he scored 8181 runs with an average of 47.29. He played his last test match against Australia in 2014. Kevin Pietersen is third on the list with 23 Centuries.

4. Wally Hammond | 22 Centuries

The judgment of cricket history is that the greatest batsmen the game has known are - WG Grace, Jack Hobbs, Walter Hammond, and Don Bradman. Others may come close indeed to those four but do not quite take place with them. Hammond made his test debut against South Africa in 1927. He played 85 test matches and scored 7249 runs with an average of 58.45. He is 4th on the list with 22 test centuries. The Great Walter Hammond played his last Test match against New Zealand in 1947.

5. Colin Cowdrey | 22 Centuries

Colin Cowdrey mostly known as Michael Cowdrey played Cricket for 21 years, One of the most durable batsmen in the history of Test Cricket. Cowdrey made his test debut in 1954 against the Aussies and played 114 matches, scoring 7624 runs with an average of 44.06. He is 5th on the list with the same no as Wally Hammond, 22 centuries. Michael Cowdrey played his last test match in 1975 against the Australian side.

Top 10 Players with the Most Centuries in Test Cricket for England: