Jos Buttler Explains Surprise Batting Position Change in IPL Final
Jos Buttler came out to bat at number four in the IPL final against RCB. The English batsman revealed what exactly happened when he was about to step out to bat in the finals. Nishant Sindhu, another top order batsman, was sent in Buttler’s spot.
The Indian Premier League final saw one of the most controversial decisions by Ashish Nehra. Gujarat Titans were batting first at their own home ground, and the team was expected to do well. But when Shubman Gill's wicket fell down, it was not Jos Buttler who stepped in to bat. Instead, Nishant Sindhu was promoted to number three in that game.
But Buttler joined the game soon, as Sai Sudharsan also lost his wicket. A few days after the final loss, he revealed what exactly happened at that time. Talking about it in a podcast, Buttler said, “When the first wicket went down, I got up to put my helmet on. But Ashish Nehra said, 'You sit back down, we are going to send Nishant in at 3'. I did ask him after the game, and he just said it felt reactive at that point, and it was a good chance to get Nishant in the game as he's a top-order batter.”
Buttler continued by saying, “He has been sometimes on that slippery slope where the team gets going, and he has ended up not batting or batting at 7. So it was a decision to get him in the game. He had batted ahead of me in another game against KKR. Right or wrong, it just didn't work out for us.”
Our Take
Jos Buttler confirmed that the decision of Nishant Sindhu batting ahead of him was taken immediately by Ashish Nehra. The GT Head Coach expected it to work out well but unfortunately it didn't. Buttler and Sindhu both were not able to do well for the team on that day, and eventually, the title went away from Gujarat Titans.