Ben Duckett believes England’s travails in India will be a distant memory if they go all the way in the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
England have lost six of their seven white-ball matches in a baptism of fire for new head coach Brendon McCullum and go into Wednesday’s tour-ending ODI in Ahmedabad 2-0 down in the three-match series.
While the contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium is ostensibly a dead rubber, an England win would give them some momentum ahead of their Champions Trophy opener against Australia on February 22 in Lahore.
England also take on Afghanistan and South Africa in the group stage and Duckett insisted they should be judged on the eight-team event despite four ODI series losses in a row since the 2023 World Cup.
“We have come here for one thing and that is to win the Champions Trophy,” he said. “We still believe we can do that. It’ll be completely different conditions, all different teams we are playing against.
“If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy. If we do that, we probably won’t look back on this if we do the business in that competition.
“It’s about peaking at the right time. We have been close against this India side and we have been nowhere near our best. We will always take positives.
“We could dwell, start meetings and going at each other but the group under Baz aren’t going to do that. It’s difficult not to get the results here, but hopefully we can turn it around in Pakistan.”
McCullum’s blueprint for the limited-overs sides is almost identical to what has brought him 22 wins in 35 games in charge of the Test team, with the New Zealander encouraging England to be “watchable”.
Duckett is arguably the biggest disciple and beneficiary of ‘Bazball’ as he now opens the batting in all three formats, with the left-hander showing flashes of his best form in the T20s and ODIs in India.
In both ODIs, he and Phil Salt have helped England get off to a flyer, with Duckett cracking 65 off 56 balls before holing out off Ravindra Jadeja in Sunday’s four-wicket defeat in Cuttack, symptomatic of a trip where the tourists have done things well but not for long enough to put India under the pump.
“I am not content with getting 65,” Duckett said. “This format really excites me. I have the opportunity to make it my own. I have played seven games in this new spot and I am still coming to terms with how I go about it.
“I have faced Jadeja in Test cricket and it’s no different. I could go into my shell there and get out in the next over by not being positive. There’s a clear balance, the same as in Test cricket
“It is a longer format and you can go on and bat longer. I really want to do that. Maybe this is a learning curve for me but I’d be very surprised if I am knocking a left-arm spinner around next game.”
Indeed, Duckett thinks the messaging will remain the same after England were put to the sword by India captain Rohit Sharma, who thumped 119 off 90 balls to underpin a successful chase of 305.
“I wouldn’t change anything I did,” Duckett added. “Until I got out I played nicely. (Rohit) hit the ball 10 rows back, I was caught on the rope.
“Baz will never have a go at me for trying to hit a left-arm spinner for six over midwicket with a shot I play time and again. Stick to the options we practise, there will be no complaints inside the changing room.”
