Following the fifth T20I England captain Jos Buttler appeared to take another veiled jab at the Indian team, this time concerning Shivam Dube's return to the side. Dube had been struck on the head during the fourth T20I and was then replaced by concussion substitute Harshit Rana, which launched a debate amongst the fans and cricket experts alike. Buttler had openly questioned India's move to introduce Harshit Rana as Shivam Dube's concussion susbstitute during the fourth T20I. Harshit's fiery spell, which which he took three key wickets, changed the face of the match and tilted the match towards India.
However, Dube returned for the fifth T20I in Mumbai, contributing a quickfire 30 runs off just 13 balls and also taking two wickets. Buttler, who was livid by the decision, showed he is still not over the episode when he commented about England having 'four impact subs' during the toss. This sentiment seemed to carry over into the post-match press conference, where he remarked that Dube had 'pulled up well' despite the earlier head injury. Buttler further added that the all-rounder would have been pleased with the risk he took in returning so quickly.
“He’s pulled up pretty well from a nasty blow on the head, hopefully he’s OK. I’m sure he must have been happy with the risk he took or their medical staff were. Maybe a question for them,” Buttler said during the post-match conference following India's 150-run win over England in the fifth T20I.
England ended up losing the series 1-4, prompting them to turn their attention to the upcoming ODI series starting on February 6. Despite the series loss, England captain Jos Buttler said that the team will not deviate from their established style of playHe asserted that they will, in fact, double down on their approach, remaining fully committed to making their strategic mantra work.
Buttler expressed confidence that his team will adapt and become more comfortable with their chosen playing style as they gain more experience and time together. He believes that continued application of their principles will eventually yield the desired results.
“We certainly won’t change the way we want to play, we need to keep backing that, be even more committed and be desperate to do well and execute that. If we’re going to fall, I’d rather fall on the proactive side. Hopefully, over time you get more comfortable with that and play better,” Buttler concluded.
Full schedule of India vs England ODI series:
ODI No Date Venues Time
1 February 6 Nagpur 1:30 PM IST
2 February 9 Cuttack 1:30 PM IST
3 February 12 Ahmedabad 1:30 PM IST
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