Buttler’s ‘We’re going to play 12 as well’ jibe sets the stage for fifth T20I showdown
MUMBAI: A justified sense of England feeling robbed offers context to a dead rubber as the resentful visitors take on hosts India in the fifth and final T20I at the Wankhede today.
India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, thanks to their controversial 15-run win in the fourth game in Pune on Friday.That was after match referee and former Indian pacer Javagal Srinath curiously allowed the home team to field pacer Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for all-rounder Shivam Dube, whose bowling is his weaker wing.
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England skipper Jos Buttler’s smile did a terrible job of masking his anger at the post-match media duties. “It is not a like-for-like replacement. We don’t agree with that,” Buttler said after India completed a 15-run win.
“Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting. We should have gone on to win the match, but we disagree with the decision,” he added.
While admitting that it was not the only factor in England losing, Buttler chose to twist the dagger further into the Indian team’s conscience, by joking, “Maybe at the toss next game, I’ll say we’re going to play 12 as well.”

This fascinating subplot aside, India, despite having the series in their bag, would want to address some key issues. Like the form and returns of opener and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and skipper Surya Kumar Yadav (SKY).
Samson, who has scored just 35 runs in four games and has been out pulling the short ball on each occasion, thanks to his trigger movement of shuffling outside leg stump and back, will like to play an impactful innings. His glovework was also patchy in Pune and repeated failures won’t cut ice with the selectors as India are blessed with many options for both the opening position as well as the wicket-keeping slot.
SKY too needs to deliver. Captaining India for the first time on his home turf may just be the spur that he needs. He has led in the IPL once here when he captained Mumbai Indians to victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in April 2023.
SKY’s last significant knock was against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in Oct 2024 when he made 75. His returns in the last eight games read an embarrassing 21, 4, 1, DNB, 0, 12, 14, 0.
The Wankhede, with its truer bounce and inviting short boundaries, could offer a welcome ticket to form for the skipper.

The venue is also one of Buttler’s happy hunting grounds especially in the IPL where he has scored 700 runs in 21 games with a ton and three half-centuries at an average of 36.84 and a strike-rate of 146.75. What he will appreciate more is the fact that in white-ball cricket, spin is not a factor, especially under lights because of heavy dew. His batters have been woeful against spin.
This may trigger a change in tactics from India too. They know now that the accidental injection of pace in the form of Harshit in the last game enabled them to break their pattern of relying excessively on spin. He also offered the reliable Arshdeep Singh some support.
With the series done, will India choose to rest Arshdeep and pick Mohammed Shami to enable the team and support staff to pump in more miles in the legs of the veteran seamer before the ODI series and the Champions Trophy?
Champion sides find ways to win by increasing the difficulty quotient. Defending a target in dewy conditions should be the goal for the hosts, keeping the 2026 T20 WC in mind.