Former England captain Kevin Pietersen said that the absence of young batter Harry Brook will dent the England team’s chances for the upcoming five-match away-from-home Test series against India. However, the talented middle-order batter has returned to England after he opted out of the India tour, citing personal reasons. Pietersen also added that Brook would have been a key player in the series under the guidance of head coach Brendon McCullum.
Pietersen wrote on the X (formerly Twitter): “Crickey, I hope alls ok with Harry Brook and his family, first and foremost! Secondly, that’s a major blow to England’s chances, because under Baz, Harry is an absolute STAR!”
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Sharing the news of Harry Brook’s unavailability for the five-match Test series in India, the ECB shared an official statement that read: “Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India. The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space. The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course.”
Speaking to Michael Atherton for Times.co.uk, he shared: “I picked Ashwin’s ‘doosra’. He 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.”
The first Test between India and England will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from January 25 to 29.
