Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen shared strategic insights on how England can confront the spin challenge posed by Ashwin and Jadeja during the India Test tour.
Kevin Pietersen is optimistic about England’s chances of overcoming the threat posed by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in India’s spin-friendly conditions. Pietersen, in an interview with The Times, shared his insights on decoding Ashwin’s doosra, emphasizing the spinner’s unique approach of loading the ball at the back of his run-up.
Reflecting on his success in Indian conditions, Pietersen recalled his impactful innings of 186 runs in the second Test at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, where he formed a crucial 206-run partnership with Alastair Cook. Pietersen revealed his confidence in facing Ashwin’s doosra, strategically targeting the off side and taking advantage of the stacked leg-side field. England aims to break their decade-long Test series victory drought in India.
“He (Ashwin) used to load the ball at the back of his run-up, and I think he still does that now. He never ran up with the ball in his hand as an off-spinner and changed it late for the doosra; you can’t do that. He loaded it up early. I was 100 percent confident when he was going to bowl it and you’d see how many times I hit him over the off side. I’d see the doosra at the back of his mark and, because he had a stacked leg-side field because the ball was turning so much, I’d think four or six,” Pieterson said.
Pietersen also shared valuable insights on tackling the threat posed by Jadeja, emphasizing the importance of solid technique for English batters.
“I faced Jadeja a lot. It’s about technique. Jadeja is not Murali and he’s not Shane Warne. He’s a left-arm spinner who bowls it one way and occasionally gets the ball to slide on. If your technique is solid enough to play the ball that skids on, you should be fine. If your feet are good, and you are not planting your front foot and you are playing down the line of the ball, you should be fine. Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbw,” the former captain said.
Pietersen further underscored the key elements of playing late, judging the line and length, and reacting appropriately, suggesting that if a batter gets dismissed, it should ideally be due to a nick rather than being bowled or lbw.
Last Updated on January 23, 2024
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