Ravichandran Ashwin fires back at Ben Duckett for his 'Don't Care' remarks

Ravichandran Ashwin has fired back at Ben Duckett for downplaying England’s humiliating whitewash at the hands of India in the recent three-match ODI series. After England’s defeat in the second ODI in Cuttack, Ben Duckett had dismissed the importance of the series, as he claimed that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 glory would erase the embarrassment.

Further, the veteran off-spinner reminded that this isn’t the first time Duckett has made such remarks to cover up England’s struggles. Ashwin pointed out how Duckett previously tried to take credit for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s aggressive batting by linking it to England’s "Bazball" approach after the opener struck a century during their last Test tour of India.

Ravichandran Ashwin slams Ben Duckett for downplaying England’s whitewash against India

Slamming Ben Duckett, Ravichandran Ashwin said that England’s repeated failures are not a matter of joke or such hilarious statements from their players. He has pointed out that England had a disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign, and the latest whitewash in India will leave a deep scar on their confidence heading into the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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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 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.

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.”

Ashwin criticizes England's poor performance in India

Meanwhile, the spinner has criticized England for their poor performance in the recent white-ball series against India, where they could win only one T20I match. Ashwin said he would be very disappointed if England failed to bounce back strongly in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The former Indian spinner believes that England has so much talent, and they must perform better as they cannot afford another failure in the ICC tournament. He further said, “To see such a talented England side perform in such a way was disappointing and sad.”

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I’d be very disappointed if they don't perform well in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin signed off by saying, “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.”

Notably, England will kickstart their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Australia on February 22 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.