India's legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went down heavily on England Team's embarrassing performance in the white-ball series against India, which the Men in Blue ended up winning. He slammed England's inability to secure more than one win in the T20I matches, stating that he would be extremely disappointed if they fail to show any improvement in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is slated to start from February 19.
Ashwin admitted that England team does have a wealth of talent and should be performing at a much higher level but said that if they don't look like a better team, he would be very disappointed
“To see such a talented England side perform in such a way was disappointing and sad. It is not that they don’t have the ability. I am sticking my neck out and will again say that this is a top-class England side, but they have taken this ODI series against India very lightly. And England might look like a completely different side in Pakistan during the Champions Trophy. If they don’t look like a better team, I’d be very disappointed,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
England suffered a 0-3 ODI series sweep against India after losing the five-match T20I outing 1-4.
Ashwin also commented on Ben Duckett for his dismissive attitude towards England's recent whitewash by India in the three-match ODI series. Duckett had suggested that the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win would overshadow their embarrassing defeat. Ashwin reminded everyone that this isn't an isolated incident, recalling how Duckett previously attempted to attribute Yashasvi Jaiswal's aggressive batting style to England's 'Bazball' approach during their last Test tour in India. Ashwin expressed his frustration with Duckett's repeated attempts to downplay England's struggles with such comments. He emphasised that England's consistent failures, including their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign and this recent series loss, are no laughing matter. He believes these setbacks will impact their confidence as they head into the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
“No matter what Ben Duckett says, going into the Champions Trophy, this series loss will create a big dent in their confidence. Ben Duckett has said similar things in the past too, saying Yashasvi Jaiswal has learned to play aggressive cricket from England’s Bazball style," Ashwin added.
"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 was pretty bad as well. It isn’t like they are in bad form over 2-3 months. This has been the case for four years now. Despite having such a talented group, they are not able to justify their potential,” he concluded.
England will kick off their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Australia on February 22. Jos Buttler's men will then face Afghanistan on February 26 followed by a clash against South Africa on March 1.