Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has stated that the current Indian side is slowly turning into the best team in the longer format of the game. Pietersen’s view came in place as Team India has been in great form in Test cricket over the last few years as well.
In the past one year, barring a few defeats, including the one-off match in the World Test Championship final, India have won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and have now been on the verge of winning the five-match Test series against England in their backyard a swell. Kevin Pietersen praised the Indian players and their captain, Virat Kohli, for their impressive performances in Test cricket in recent times.
In his blog for Betway, Pietersen wrote: “This team is becoming one of the best we’ve seen in the Test match format. If they can get the job done at Old Trafford then they will have beaten Australia and England away in the last 12 years – a historic achievement. They are a much better side than England, that’s for sure.”
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He continued: “In all departments, India are a quality side. They’ve got excellent, talented players, but are also hard-working and play with such intensity that they are very difficult to stop when they are at their best.”Led by Virat Kohli, they love playing and performing on the biggest stage. It seems that the more intense the match is, the more likely they are to step up and take it away from the opposition. That is a culture that Kohli is responsible for.”
However, with the win in the fourth Test, Team India are currently 2-1 up in the five-match Test series against England with the final Test is yet to begin soon. The fifth and final Test will get underway on September 10 at Old Trafford in Manchester as well.
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Kevin Pietersen also shared his views on the flawed system which has seen England’s batting unit struggled in recent times as well.
“It’s difficult to know what more to say about this England side. The batting, in particular, is about the worst that it’s ever been, and they have failed to win either of their two summer series for the first time in 20 years. This has not happened overnight. Unfortunately, you cannot expect these guys to deliver when the system is so flawed. It’s been coming, and we’re now seeing the results. It’s going to take a long time to undo the damage,” Kevin Pietersen concluded.
