NEW DELHI: England captain Jos Buttler conceded that his team was comprehensively outplayed by India in the three-match ODI series, which ended with a crushing 142-run defeat for the visitors at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
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England's struggles against spin were evident throughout their tour of India, where they also suffered a 1-4 defeat in the five-match T20I series. With the 2025 Champions Trophy set to begin in Pakistan on February 19, the team will need to make quick adjustments to their approach.
"Similar to the whole tour, we were outplayed by a fantastic team. Our approach is the right one, but we haven’t executed well. They put a great score on the board. Shubman played a great innings. We got off to a great start again, but it’s a familiar story for us. We need to find a way to bat for longer. We were up against a really good side that keeps challenging us," Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
England’s batting unit struggled throughout the series, with opener Ben Duckett and veteran Joe Root — the latter returning to the ODI squad for the first time since the 2023 World Cup — being the only batters to register three-digit aggregate scores across the three games. Their middle order, in particular, faltered against spin on multiple occasions, raising concerns about consistency ahead of the global tournament.
Placed in Group B of the Champions Trophy, England will look to regroup before their opening clash against arch-rivals Australia on February 22 in Lahore. They will then face Afghanistan on February 26 and South Africa on March 1 to conclude their group-stage fixtures.
