NEW DELHI: England opener Ben Duckett insists that the team's morale remains high despite trailing 0-2 in their ODI series against India, emphasising that their primary goal is to win the Champions Trophy.
The visitors face India in the final ODI in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, but Duckett downplayed the significance of a potential 0-3 series defeat, stating, "We have come here for one thing and that is to win the Champions Trophy."
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW
England, led by Jos Buttler, will begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 22 against arch-rivals Australia in Lahore. They are placed in Group B alongside Afghanistan and South Africa.
"If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy," Duckett added. "It’ll be completely different conditions and different opposition."
Brendon McCullum’s first white-ball assignment as England coach has been challenging, starting with a 1-4 T20I series loss to India, followed by defeats in the first two ODIs. England had competitive moments in both games but failed to capitalize.
"It’s about peaking at the right time," Duckett said. "We have been close against this India side and we have been nowhere near our best. We will always take positives."
Despite the setbacks, Duckett praised the team’s resilience, dismissing any panic within the squad. "We could dwell on it, have meetings and go at each other, but the group under Baz (McCullum) aren’t going to do that," he stated.
England will now aim for a turnaround in the Champions Trophy, with Duckett confident that the team can hit top form when it matters most. "It’s difficult not getting results here, but hopefully, we can turn it around in Pakistan."
