Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has lashed out at England opener Ben Duckett for his comments during the three-match ODI series between India and England. Before the third ODI at Ahmedabad, Duckett had said they don’t mind losing the last game of the series, if they can beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy.
England suffered a 0-3 clean sweep as India were dominant throughout the series. Meanwhile, Ashwin recalled how Duckett had made similar comments during the five-match Test series in 2024.
Duckett had said the English batters deserve credit for the way Yashasvi Jaiswal batted in the series. Jaiswal scored 712 runs in five test matches at an average of 89 and finished as the leading run-getter.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “No matter what Ben Duckett says, going into the Champions Trophy, this series loss will create a big dent to their confidence. Ben Duckett has said similar things in the past too, saying Yashasvi Jaiswal has learnt to play aggressive cricket from England’s bazball style.
“I know Ben Duckett and his penchant for humor… but this was no joke and it is like you are hiding your failures behind humor. Your 2023 ODI WC were pretty bad as well. It isn’t like they are in bad form over two to three months. It has been the case for four years now. Despite having such a talented group they are not able to justify their potential.”
Meanwhile, former England swashbuckling batter Kevin Pietersen also slammed Duckett for his comments.
Pietersen wrote on X, “Goodness me, it’s pretty poor that Duckett would say that he doesn’t care if England lose today and lose 3-0 to India. Context is important when reading quotes, but those words should NOT have been said! NEVER!”
India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
