Kevin Pietersen lashed out at the English batters for another below-par performance in the ongoing India tour as the visitors suffered an ODI series defeat with one match left in the series. Jos Buttler and co. lost the T20I series 1-4 and now trailing three-match series 0-2. England failed to capitalise in the second ODI after winning the toss as they posted a below-par 304 on a flat Cuttack surface. Ben Duckett (65) and Joe Root (69) did breach the fifty-run mark but failed to convert them into triple-digit scores as England ended up losing the match by 4 wickets as India chased down the target with 33 balls to spare.
Pietersen didn’t hold back while launching a rant on the England batters and suggested that their mindset is not to score big runs and that they are satisfied with half-centuries to retain their places in the XI.
“It seems to me there’s just a lack of hunger and a lack of desire to go and get that 130, 140. That’s what’s missing. Like, it’s just too easy. Get 40, get 50, get 60. That’s cool. Everything’s fine. Got my 50, got my 60. I’ll probably play the next game. If I don’t, I’ll have the day off and go and play golf, and I’m gonna do what I like,” Pietersen told the broadcasters during the innings break.
In the first ODI, Jos Buttler (52), Jacob Brethell (51), and Phil Salt (43) were also set but failed to convert them into big scores as England failed to breach the 300-run mark. Meanwhile, for India, Shubman Gill got close to a century in the series opener with an 87-run knock, while Rohit Sharma smashed a blistering century in Cuttak while chasing targets.
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Pietersen suggested that the batters don’t have the hunger to get that big score and are a bit ruthless with their approach to taking the team over 350.
“It just seems to me like they’re just lacking that bit of something that says, ‘Hey, man, come on. Let’s get that 100, let’s get that 130.’ This team here should be scoring 350 today. That’s what they should be doing. 304, they might still win this game. They’ve got a very good chance of still winning this game, but they should be able to be ruthless and get that 350, 360 because they’re good enough,” he added.
