England are currently battling to avoid a 3-0 whitewash in their ODI series against India, having dropped the first two matches in Nagpur and Cuttack ahead of the crucial ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE. However, comments made by English opener Ben Duckett have rankled some feathers in England, with former batter Kevin Pietersen refusing to accept it while on broadcasting duties in India.
“Those words should be frowned upon. Those words [should not] come out of your mouth in a press conference,” said Pietersen while speaking on Star Sports in the lead-up to the third ODI in Ahmedabad.
“I sort of understand his reasoning saying that losing to India would mean absolutely nothing if they win the Champions Trophy. And I hope that England can turn on that tap and flick that switch that enables all their batters to get hundreds, whenever they bat, and their bowlers to get wickets whenever they bowl, because it’s quite statement of what that dressing room thinks,” he explained.
“You’re playing for your country,” argued Pietersen. “You’ve got many cricketers in England who would love to be in your position and would love to come to India, would love to play in front of these crowds. It’s stuff that I as an ex-player, wish that I still had. So when you hear statements like that, it just really is disappointing.”
‘I don’t care…’
England went down 2-0 as a Rohit Sharma century sunk them in Cuttack, with Duckett also receiving criticism for throwing away his wicket after a strong start. However, speaking following the match, Duckett had claimed that this series was a secondary focus compared to the Champions Trophy.
“We have come here for one thing, and that is to win the Champions Trophy. We still believe we can do that. Certain players are finding their feet and a bit of form,” said Duckett.
“This is a massive series, but the Champions Trophy is the big competition. If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final in the Champions Trophy. No one will probably look back on this series if we go and do the business in that competition,” the opener had said.
However, following some backlash to his comments, Duckett had clarified what he meant in his statement, stating that the series still matters to the team but reasserting that entering a groove for the Champions Trophy was the key goal: “To be clear, we want results as a team and playing India is one of the biggest series there is! But the Champions Trophy and peaking at the right time is what we’re aiming for.”
England opted to bowl first in the third and final ODI, but India’s batters are currently taking control of the game, with Shubman Gill registering his seventh ODI century and both Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer contributing with half-centuries.
