“I am absolutely gobsmacked” - England legend lashes out at visitors for skipping practice sessions during IND vs ENG 2025 series 

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has come down hard on the national team for not holding enough practice sessions during the recently concluded limited-overs tour of India. The 44-year-old stressed that players cannot improve without practicing. England lost the five-match T20I series 4-1 and were whitewashed in the three-match ODI series by India.

The visiting side ended their dismal tour with a 142-run defeat in the third and final ODI on Wednesday, February 12, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The tourists' batting woes followed them as batters failed to kick on after promising starts and the middle order fell like a pack of cards after the openers started brilliantly.

Writing on X, Pietersen observed that Joe Root was the only player in the English camp to hold a practice session after the defeat in the first ODI in Nagpur.

"I’m sorry, but I am absolutely gobsmacked that England did not have ONE team practice session since losing the 1st ODI and losing the T20 series. How can this be? Seriously, how? I believe Joe Root was the only player to have a net this series, post Nagpur. There isn’t a single sportsman on this planet who can honestly say, that they’d improve without practicing whilst they’re getting beaten," Pietersen wrote.

Unlike India, who had two players scoring centuries in the three-game ODI series, the tourists didn't have even one. Opener Ben Duckett finished as the visitors' highest run-getter with 131 runs but only had one half-century to his name.

"I’m am actually incredibly sad this evening" - Kevin Pietersen over England's performance against India

Kevin Pietersen. (Image Credits: Getty)

The 104-Test veteran opined that the Englishmen's attitude reflected that they didn't even try to help their side win. In the same tweet, Kevin Pietersen wrote:

"There also cannot be one player in that England side that can sit on the plane leaving India and saying to themselves, they did everything they can to try help their side win. And for that, I’m am actually incredibly sad this evening. Losing is fine if you’re giving your best to improve everyday and if England didn’t train during this series then they didn’t try. Heartbreaking for any England fan!"

Jos Buttler and company will open their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Australia on February 22 in Lahore. The previous Champions Trophy edition (2017) saw them reach the semi-final and lose to eventual winner Pakistan. With the Englishmen clubbed alongside Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan, their current form doesn't bode well for them.