Leg and Off: Is Kevin Pietersen's criticism of England's reported lack of net practice justified after loss in IND vs ENG ODIs 2025?
England's horror white-ball tour of India culminated with a staggering defeat against India in the third ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The visitors only won one match in the entire tour, and were swept 0-3 in the ODI series.
Given how England were outplayed across all three departments throughout the series, it led to some intense scrutiny after the result. Former cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Shastri lambasted England's lack of practice, a fact which was highlighted by former pacer Steve Harmison too.
While Jos Buttler refuted the claims during the post-match presentation, Pietersen posted a lengthy tweet regarding the issue.
"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 on X after England's series defeat.
On that note, let us take a look at different arguments which support Pietersen's comments and some which make it unjustified.
England's inability to 'turn up' can be attributed to lack of practice
The thing about succeeding in the subcontinent is to play spin so much that it becomes a habit to an extent. Watching England crumble in the middle-overs against spin was a clear indicator that they just did not spend enough time against spin in training to cope with the challenges on game day.
Taking into account that they had to face some highly skilled Indian spinners on their turf, coupled with the fact they struggled in the preceding T20I series, the lack of practice comes across as astounding.
England did not need to look too far to find an ideal template to survive in the subcontinent. Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup campaign was the ideal blueprint. The Men in Yellow made the most of a three-match ODI series prior to the tournament. They extensively played against local bowlers in the nets too with consultants on board, which undoubtedly helped their ability to play spin as the tournament progressed.
However, such an approach from England was not to be seen as they relied on their credentials to combat spin rather than the toil of nets, which could have helped them eliminate flaws and bat with a much better tempo.
England needed to prioritize practice above everything else considering their style of play
Practice is paramount, but its relevance becomes even more important when you have a high-risk playing style to execute in the match. Even Team India had a high-risk approach aligning with modern needs, but the difference was they succeeded without any major issues.
England skipper Jos Buttler and pacer Mark Wood have hinted at replicating how India go about their business. However, it has to be understood that such grasp and conviction is a by-product of the time put in the nets to hone skills.
The vision will only be witnessed out in the middle if enough work has been put towards it behind the scenes. Although, the old trend of practice has changed, with gym work and increased emphasis on fielding, the one thing that cannot be substituted, compromised, or subdued is the ever-reliable net sessions.
In all fairness, England's vision regarding how they want to approach ODIs is not wrong, given how most teams are embracing a similar approach. The stark contrast between England and the rest at the moment is when it comes to execution, and that can only be improved with practice.
Bazball will never attain unanimous adoration because of the lack of accountability it brings out, and when coupled with a lack of dedication behind the scenes too, a backlash is inevitable.
Judging by the gap between the two sides, preparation was a bigger factor than practice
In hindsight, trouble did not spawn for England midway through the ODI series, it began during the build-up. All of the in-between games net sessions in the world could prove to be futile if the preparation at the start was not right to begin with.
Prior to the India tour, England held a camp in the subcontinent, but only for the pacers. A decent white-ball series against West Indies to close out 2024, and then the players shipped out to various corners to play franchise T20 leagues.
The lack of training, and the criticism surrounding it pales in comparison when other pressing matters like a lack of a clearly defined game plan, one-dimensional bowling unit, and fundamental flaws are considered.
For England to win the series, or at least put up a very strong fight, they had to tick off the preparation to begin with. Given that this was Brendon McCullum's first series in charge, preparation should have been prioritized.
The harsh truth is that the current cricketing schedule does not provide the luxury of a dedicated time frame before an assignment for combined preparation or tour matches. Still, England should have done better in this regard, knowing how tough it would get on the subcontinent if they went in undercooked.
A tour of India can be physically and mentally draining
If there was a reason to believe that over-exerting mentally and physically in training could lead to a negative impact on game day, then the management had the right to dial down the emphasis on training.
England are not used to such extensive travelling and having the need to adapt on the go. The visitors played in eight cities in the span of 20 days.
While it is not an iron-clad defence since travelling is regular in modern-day cricket, it does take a toll on a visiting side. Furthermore, England largely had the same side for both the series, and one could feel the weariness towards the end of it.
India had the luxury of bringing in fresh faces for the ODI series, but the same cannot be said for England. In fact, the opposite holds true for them, they kept losing members as the tour progressed, with Jacob Bethell's injury coming as a crushing blow.
To conclude, one can sympathize with the visitors for their poor performance since it was a formidable Indian outfit in their own conditions. But their attitude towards training and preparation, which are non-negotiable and controllable aspects, cannot be sympathized with, much like what Pietersen tried to convey through his post.