Jos Buttler: England debutant inspired by Matt Prior

Jos Buttler and Matt Prior of England — Jos Buttler, left, replaces Matt Prior, who is likely to have surgery on his Achilles tendon

Third Test: England v India, Ageas Bowl
Dates: 27 July - 31 JulyCoverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website, live audio commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Jos Buttler wants to take inspiration from Matt Prior to become one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world.

The 23-year-old will make his Test debut against India on Sunday at Hampshire's Rose Bowl.

He said: "It's an incentive that with the right work ethic, I feel I've the talent to develop into that and I know it's obtainable from Matt's example."

Buttler comes in for the third Test after Prior, 32, stood down from England duty because of injury.

Lancashire's Buttler, who was called up as cover for Prior for the first Test at Trent Bridge, has appeared in 33 one-day matches and 36 Twenty20 games for England.

Jos Buttler
	Tests	ODIs	T20s
Caps	n/a	33	36
Runs	n/a	753	506
Average	n/a	32.73	22.00
Strike rate	n/a	128.27	134.57
Caught/stumped	n/a	48/4	10/1

He was tipped to replace Prior in the Test line-up after hitting England's fastest one-day international century against Sri Lanka in June.

Buttler said he needed to improve before playing Test cricket but now thinks he has the confidence to make the most of his opportunity.

"Mentally I'm closer to playing Test cricket than I thought I perhaps was," he said.

"And the call-up to cover Matt when he was potentially injured at Trent Bridge was a confidence boost and showed me I was really close to playing Test cricket.

"Test cricket is a step into the unknown but I've been playing international cricket and I know the set-up and know the guys, which I think helps me with that transition."