Brendon McCullum has responded to allegations that England’s team was sloppy in their training on their recent India tour by saying such claims were “factually incorrect.” England suffered hard-fought defeats in both the ODI and T20I series, which fueled rumors about how they prepared. In the third ODI, commentators Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Shastri observed that England’s players, apart from Joe Root, had not been making use of the nets.

The team practised before the first ODI in Nagpur but skipped net sessions prior to the second and third games in Cuttack and Ahmedabad. Talking to talkSPORT following England’s 142-run loss in the final ODI, McCullum refuted the idea that his team’s inactivity meant they found it tough.

“We’ve trained loads during the tour,” he said. “Lots of our players have come in off a full schedule, and with injury in the group, our emphasis has been on keeping players fresh and match-intelligent as opposed to overloading them.”

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Brendon McCullum underlined that England adopts a methodical process, weighing the workload against the performances on the field, particularly with the Champions Trophy looming ahead. “We have a gigantic task ahead of us, and we want our players to be fit and good to go,” he furthered.

Captain Jos Buttler also spoke up in the defense of the team’s work ethic, dispelling any perception that their losses were caused by complacency.

“We’ve had a very long tour with heavy travel. There were times when we didn’t train, but we’ve done a lot of preparation,” Buttler clarified. “We promote a good atmosphere where players feel comfortable to train sensibly. It’s not laziness but getting the best out of our time.” McCullum, who became England’s white-ball coach in January, accepted that the tour was an enriching learning experience. “There’s plenty to take forward. The results were disappointing, but our players are talented, and if we get confidence and adaptability, we will improve.

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England will then turn their attention to the Champions Trophy, where they will start against Australia on February 22 in the UAE. Jacob Bethell, who was injured, has been replaced by Tom Banton in the team.