For his aggressive on-field behaviour during India’s emphatic 151-run victory at Lord’s, India skipper Virat Kohli received flak from the England fans and some of their former cricketers.
Amid the criticism, former England captain Kevin Pietersen has lauded Kohli for his passion towards Test cricket.
Claiming that Kohli “is fantastic for Test cricket”, Pietersen said the Indian captain understands the significance of excelling in the longest format of the game.
"Knowing Virat Kohli the way that I do, I know the huge impetus he puts on following in the footsteps of his heroes. His heroes are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and other legends of Test match cricket," Pietersen wrote in his blog post for Betway.
"Kohli knows that to be considered a legend of the game, he needs to deliver in this format as well as in T20.
"That's why he puts so much importance on this format and at a time when Test cricket needs all the love it can get, how good is it to see a global superstar so passionate about it."
Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Team India stayed on top of ICC Test rankings for close to four years in a row. They also made it to the inaugural World Test Championship final, defeating West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia and England on the way.
Earlier this week, the Indian team thrashed England in the second Test at Lord's to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
"He values his team producing in all conditions, and so to have watched his team win in Australia and then have gone one up in England with a victory at Lord's will satisfy him hugely. You can see by his enthusiasm, intensity, and the way he rallies his troops. Test cricket still means everything to him and it's moments like this that will define his legacy," Pietersen wrote.
"It's very difficult for subcontinental teams to come to England and perform, but they would probably be 2-0 up after two matches if it weren't for the rain at Trent Bridge," he further remarked.
Pietersen also showered rich praise on India pacer Mohammed Siraj, who took four wickets in each innings at Lord's.
"The way that Mohammed Siraj bowled on Day 5 summed it up intensity, heart and quality. It's amazing for Test cricket that India who are the number one brand in the game are so vocal and so passionate about it.
"It all bodes well for the format."
Pietersen also batted for "wholesale changes" in England team ahead of the third Test.
"I would make wholesale changes for the third Test. They cannot be worse than the line-up that batted like that on Day 5 at Lord's, which was absolutely atrocious."
England had to bat less than two sessions to save the Lord’s Test but they failed to do so as India’s pace-quartet demolished their batting line-up.
"I could bowl to that top three at the moment and come under very little pressure, and I'm 41 years of age. None of India's bowlers are actually worried about any damage that they might do," Pietersen said.
"Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook all need to play in that match at Headingley.
"Yes, there is risk, because these guys might nick off while playing aggressive shots, but they can't do any worse than the current lot."
(With PTI inputs)
