Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has doubled down on his comments about England's training methods in India this year, calling them "absolutely disgraceful".
In January and February this year, England toured India for a five-T20I and three-ODI series ahead of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. They ended up losing seven of the eight matches, and copped criticism not just for their on-field performances, but their off-field ones as well.
After a 4-1 England defeat in the T20Is, Ravi Shastri said on commentary during the ODI series: "From what I've heard, England have had one net session this entire trip, if not any. If you're not prepared to do the hard yards, you're not going to improve."
Pietersen, sitting alongside, agreed with Shastri and later tweeted, "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." England skipper Jos Buttler later came out in defence of his side during a press conference.
Pietersen: Guys don’t go and play golf every day and go and wing it
A couple months on from the incident, Pietersen has not changed his opinion. "I stand by every word,” he said to the Telegraph. "That was absolutely disgraceful that England did not train once between the first one-dayer and the last one-dayer – absolutely disgraceful."
“Guys don’t go and play golf every day and go and wing it – absolutely not, absolutely not. These guys are so meticulous in their preparation. They’re like surgeons. They really are super impressive.
“You do not become successful without hard work. You don’t become successful without practising – you become constant. You have to make sure you have the technical ability to manage at the top level. These guys are so smart."
Pietersen went on to cite examples of players from other countries he has seen this year alone, in his role as mentor of the Delhi Capitals in the IPL: "I sit in on our batting and bowling meetings, with people like KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc. Some stuff that comes out of these guys’ mouths makes you just think: ‘You have to have your wits about you, to be able to cope at the top level.’
“A swing and a hit and a giggle is going to be successful once in a little while. But if you want to be consistent, you’re going to have to have some wits about you, because these guys are very, very astute, very smart and hard working.”
Pietersen is currently on holiday in the Maldives, but is set to return to India imminently. In the conversation, he also expressed his love for coaching, and said, "I’ve always been available to Rob Key [for England]. He knows that.”
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
