“It is great for us in the media” - Former captain’s interesting take on Jos Buttler after IND vs ENG 2025 5th T20I

Former England player Michael Vaughan has praised Jos Buttler for his captaincy and the unabashed fashion in which he responded to the concussion substitute controversy in the T20I series against India. The England skipper did not mince his words after the fourth match and also chimed in with a cheeky comment during the toss for the series finale at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, February 2.

After winning the toss and opting to bowl, Buttler said England were playing with 'four impact subs.' The visitors were far from pleased when Harshit Rana came in as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, and there has been a near-unanimous criticism of the match referee for approving such a call.

Vaughan remarked how having head coach Brendon McCullum working behind the scenes can lead to a more 'free-flowing' version of Buttler both on and off the field.

"I think Jos Buttler's captaincy has been excellent in this series, he's been creative, and it is a different style of captaincy that we have seen from Jos in white-ball cricket, and also in the way that he is speaking now. It is great for us in the media because he is going to bring a line or two from now on," Vaughan said (via Cricbuzz).

"I like it. I think what Jos is going to bring with his relationship with Baz McCullum is a little bit more on the front foot chat. I think he'd be more than happy to throw a few lines out to the press, which is great. England were hard done to in the last game, I don't care what anybody says. But, they still had enough to win that game," he added.

Brendon McCullum's reign as England's white-ball coach has begun on a poor note. Jos Buttler and company suffered a 1-4 defeat at the hands of India, which culminated in an embarrassing 150-run loss in the fifth T20I in Mumbai.

"Entertain is the word that I have heard more than ever" - Former England captain Michael Vaughan

Following a couple of poor ICC events, England are in a bid to revamp their white-ball side in terms of both approach and personnel. The team have ushered in new talents while phasing out the senior players and aspire to implement the modern attacking approach.

The team played some solid cricket in the bilateral series against Australia and West Indies after the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, they were humbled by India's well-oiled T20I side in the five-match series.

"Entertain is the word that I have heard more than ever in English cricket over the course of the last few years since Baz has been the coach of the Test side, and now the white ball team," Vaughan said in the same interview.

England remain in the subcontinent for the upcoming three-match ODI series, which serves as preparation for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The first ODI is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, in Nagpur.