"They don't come to training" - Senior batter hits back at Kevin Pietersen over claims of England not training enough ahead of Champions Trophy 2025

Ace England batter Joe Root has hit back at Kevin Pietersen's claims of the national team not training enough following their 3-0 ODI series defeat against India. The Yorkshire cricketer suggested that outsiders hardly know the system within their team as they don't come to training to watch them.

With England set to open their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Australia on Saturday (February 22) in Lahore, their form is not the best. The Englishmen's series defeat to India was their third consecutive in ODIs, having already lost to the West Indies and Australia. Meanwhile, Pietersen, who was commentating during the India tour, claimed that the tourists spent most of the time playing golf instead of in the training nets.

Ahead of their tournament-opener against Australia, Root responded to the claims. He said, as quoted by BBC Sport:

"They don't come to training. They don't see what we do and how we operate."

Jos Buttler and co. struggled most with converting starts into big scores during the India tour as the likes of Root, Ben Duckett and Phil Salt failed to make hundreds after settling at the crease.

"I think we've got the right players" - Joe Root optimistic of England's chances

Joe Root with Jamie Smith (Image Credits: Getty)

Root went on to acknowledge that the English players don't get as much chance to play 50-over cricket but feels the squad has the experience and can pass it over to the newbies. He added:

"It's just going to take something different. There isn't that opportunity to do that [play as regularly] nowadays but it doesn't mean we can't be as successful as that team. There's just different challenges that we're going to have to overcome.

"Can we find a way to speed that process up by having good, smart conversations and using our experience and share them so that when you get to the crunch moments within big games you get the team across the line? I think we've got the right players that are able to do that and we've certainly got the talent."

The 2017 Champions Trophy saw England, led by Eoin Morgan, reach the semi-final and lose to eventual champions Pakistan.