Jos Buttler has hit back at some of the criticism his team have faced following England ’s crushing 3-0 One Day International series defeat in India.
The result had already left them under the microscope, but it was the murmurs of inadequate preparation—claims that they had barely trained during the series—that truly hit a nerve. For Buttler and his squad, the criticism wasn’t just noise; it was a challenge to their professionalism, and one they couldn’t afford to ignore.
On commentary, Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen claimed England had just one proper net session throughout the ODI series and even skipped training after their opening defeat in Nagpur. Buttler, however, refuted that outright after the final ODI in Ahmedabad.
“I’m not sure that’s quite true,” Buttler responded to Shastri’s earlier comments. “I think we’ve had a reasonably long tour, a few long travel days… there have been a couple of times we’ve not trained, but we’ve certainly done plenty of training throughout the tour.
“We obviously try to create a really good environment but don’t mistake that for a lazy environment or a lack of effort. The guys are desperate to perform, do well and improve.”
Results, however, suggest England have deeper issues. Since their World Cup group-stage exit last year, they have now lost four consecutive ODI series, winning just four of their last 14 matches.
Against India, they never looked like matching the hosts. Buttler acknowledged the gulf in quality but insisted their confidence remained intact.
“We want the results to build confidence and win games – that feels a lot better having won matches as opposed to losing,” he added. “We’re up against a good side in their own conditions, they’re probably the benchmark in ODI cricket at the moment.”
The scorelines reflected England’s struggles. India racked up 356 in the final ODI before bowling the visitors out for 214. Tom Banton showed some fight with 38, but the rest of the batting lineup fell apart, with Ben Duckett struggling through an apparent groin injury. Even with Adil Rashid’s impressive 4-64, England’s bowling attack lacked bite.
Buttler admitted: “We’ve not played near our potential, we’ve had some moments in games, never enough to force results or look like winning games of cricket in the last three matches. But, I think the fact we’re not anywhere near our potential yet or playing individually or collectively where we know we can be gives us something to look forward to, believe we can get there and be a dangerous team in the Champions Trophy.”
With their opening Champions Trophy game against Australia in Lahore on February 22, England have little time to recover. Their problems against spin remain a glaring weakness, ruthlessly exposed by India’s attack.
Throughout the series, they started well with the bat but collapsed once the Indian spinners took control in the middle overs. Their struggles could again be laid bare in Pakistan, where recent Test matches have seen pitches increasingly favouring spin.
Yet, Buttler dismissed concerns. He concluded: “As I said, simply we have to be better. We have to be very confident in all the guys’ games against spin. Guys have all the shots.
“Joe Root is probably one of the best players of spin in the world. Certainly, a good guy to have in our team. Like I said, quite simply you can’t put your finger on always why but we just have to be better and be more effective. Take the lessons from the opposition.”
England’s decline in white-ball cricket has been stark, and the questions around their approach aren’t going away anytime soon. If Lahore doesn’t signal a turnaround, Buttler’s words would merely offer a defiant front.
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