Former England batter Kevin Pietersen on Monday said this England team lived rent-free on the minds of the opposition even as the Ben Stokes-led side lost the IND vs ENG 2nd Test within four days. However, Pietersen also claimed that England changed their Bazball approach once they lost a few wickets in the opening session of the fourth day.
England were outplayed on the IND vs ENG 2nd Test after taking the lead in the first match of the 5-match series. Rohit Sharma’s India dominated the visitors right from the word get-go in the 2nd Test, with comprehensive batting and bowling displays. Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed a double century in India’s first innings, and Shubman Gill backed it up with a century of his own in the 2nd innings. On the bowling front, Bumrah was on song with a 9-wicket haul in the match including a 6-fer.
After England’s defeat, Kevin Pietersen said England’s attacking brand of cricket sows a doubt in opposition’s mind even when they are at a disadvantage.
“The way they’ve been playing their cricket, they have given themselves the opportunity to live almost rent-free on the opposition’s mind. Because they (opposition) are always thinking ‘what if’,” Pietersen said.
However, Pietersen also praised the Vishakhapatnam pitch for being an even surface without favouring any particularly batters or bowlers. He also claimed England moved from their Bazball approach after losing a few wickets in the morning session of the fourth day.
“England played a more conservative brand of cricket once they lost a few wickets. All in all it was a brilliant test match, on a magnificent cricketing surface. We hope we get wickets like these in the remaining test matches. Because when the batters get a chance to score, bowlers get a chance to take wickets,” Pietersen added.
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