For the first time in a men’s 50-over World Cup, England are heading into the tournament as defending champions. But don’t let Jos Buttler hear you say that.

After his England side clinched a 3-1 series win over New Zealand at Lord’s last month, Buttler was asked how well positioned his side were to defend their title, and bristled at the question. “We’re not trying to defend anything,” he said. “We’re trying to go there and win a World Cup. We’re in exactly the same position as every other team.”

It was a stance that he repeated throughout his extensive media duties on the eve of the opening game, a rematch of the 2019 final, in Ahmedabad: at the ICC’s Captains’ Day event; in his official media conference; in a radio interview with the BBC; and in his briefing with the UK’s touring written press. “I have said lots of times, I don’t see us as defending champions,” he said.

Ostensibly, it might seem odd. Buttler will forever be associated with that day at Lord’s, running Martin Guptill out to clinch the trophy that represented the culmination of England’s four-year journey from laggards to first-time world champions. For all the focus on Ben Stokes’ heroics, England would never have taken the final to a Super Over without Buttler’s innings of 59.

But the trophy has been handed back to the ICC, and will be awarded to another captain at this stadium in 45 days’ time. England’s name is on the trophy next to the year 2019, and the next six-and-a-half weeks will not change that. Buttler’s messaging has been designed to focus England’s sights on the present and future. “For me, the past is in the past,” he explained.

“You can’t recreate something, or hold onto it forever. It’s all about something new. It’s fantastic to be champions and the reigning champions, and I won’t say we’ve left that behind completely because it’s a nice place to be. But I do feel like you’ve given that trophy back now. It’s done. It’s about trying to create something new.

“We must be hungry to try to do it again and try to be focused on something different. Stuff in the past can be nice reference points: you talk about experience, and I never believed in it as a young player. I thought you could either do it, or you couldn’t. But certainly now, as an older player, there are times that things happen and they are nice to refer back to.”

Part of Buttler’s distaste for the phrase owes to the language itself. He has only captained in 18 ODIs since his appointment as captain last year, and eight of those came when the format was bottom of England’s list of priorities as they prepared for – and recovered from – the T20 World Cup in Australia.

He spent England’s series against New Zealand last month reminding his players that, under pressure, they should “fall on the positive side”, rather than taking the cautious option; they responded with two dominant performances at The Oval and Lord’s, and scored at 8.15 runs per over in their only warm-up match.

That might explain why the phrase rankles. “We’re not ‘defending’ anything,” Buttler said. “And it’s probably the word I don’t like: I want us to attack, so I don’t like the word ‘defending’… it may be a motivation for certain teams when they’ve been in that position, but for us, it’s irrelevant – certainly for me.”

More so than many English players, who are brought up to believe that Test cricket and the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game, Buttler has always cherished the chance to play in World Cups: he was in the stands at Taunton during the 1999 edition, then at the final four years later while on holiday in South Africa. “It’s etched in my memory,” he said.

“Getting here today and seeing that trophy again, all the plaques with the different teams all the way around it… the history and the legacy of the tournament still rings true. The landscape of cricket is changing – bilateral cricket is having its own challenges – but coming here to India, which is the No. 1 place in the world for cricket, and being at an ODI World Cup, it certainly gets you excited.”

And he remains bullish about England’s chances, despite their mixed ODI results in this World Cup cycle. “Being fifth in the rankings, maybe there are a few asterisks against that. We don’t read too much into it: we have a lot of belief in our side. I don’t think anyone would want to play us, or enjoy playing us.”

Success in Australia last year ensured England’s legacy as double world champions, becoming the first men’s team to hold both World Cups simultaneously. But, Buttler insisted: “The hunger is there. We wouldn’t be here if we were content with what we’ve done, and you’re always excited for the new challenge.

“We’re all dreamers… we are a team who like being in that position of having expectations on us. It’s a great place to be: I’d rather be there than a non-fancied side that nobody thinks has a chance. We’ve got some of the best players in the world in our team – that gives us a great chance.

“It’s a nice place to be as an English sports team, that fans expect you to do well. We’ll try our best for the fans back home, and those that make it out here.” But remember: if England lift the trophy again on November 19, don’t say they have defended their title if Buttler is in earshot.