The England cricket team’s 0-3 defeat against India in the recently concluded ODI series against India put them in the line of fire. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri and ex-England captain Kevin Pietersen rubbed salt to their wounds by suggesting that the team had only one nets session throughout the series. However, England head coach Brendon McCullum has called the accusation by Shastri and Pietersen ‘factually incorrect’, saying a cautious call over the team’s training schedule had to be taken, keeping workload and injuries in mind.
“Firstly it’s factually incorrect, the whole statement that we don’t train. We train plenty right throughout, guys have come from (playing) a lot of cricket as well. It’s an easy thing to have as a throwaway line, saying guys aren’t training hard enough when results aren’t right,” McCullum told TalkSport after the match.
Pietersen, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), had said: “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. 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 England 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!”
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…
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) February 12, 2025
While calling Shastri and Pietersen’s statement incorrect, McCullum didn’t go on to suggest that his team had multiple training sessions over the course of the series in India. With the Champions Trophy coming up, McCullum said that the larger objective was to keep his players fit for the ICC event.
“We have got a style and a method we believe in, guys who are batting injuries. (We are) trying to make sure we have got enough bodies out in the field knowing that we have a huge assignment coming up in a week or two,” said McCullum. “Ultimately it’s factually incorrect what is being said. We disagree with it and we will stay true with what we believe in.”
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