Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has warned England to expect a stiff challenge when they face India in the fifth and rescheduled Test, starting 1st July in Birmingham.
England is coming off a 3-0 drubbing of New Zealand at home under the new leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum which saw the home side play some risky and aggressive cricket, resulting in them chasing down almost 300 runs in 50 odd overs on the last day of a Test.
However, Kevin Pietersen warned the hosts to not get complacent after their recent thumping series win over New Zealand, saying that Indian team is a completely different unit than New Zealand.
“It always surprised me that New Zealand were World Test Champions. I mean no disrespect by that, because they must be doing something to get the very best out of each other. But other than Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, who needs the ball to be swinging, they lack star quality,” Pietersen was quoted as saying on Betway.
“So I certainly expect England to face a tougher test against India, who are packed full of the best players on the planet," Pietersen added.
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Pietersen spoke highly of the Indian batting lineup as well, saying that despite their recent performance against New Zealand, England's bowlers would have a difficult time against players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
“India’s bowlers might not mind so much that England is going to come out swinging at them. Ravi Jadeja is an excellent spinner when people start getting after him and you can be sure that Jasprit Bumrah will see it as an opportunity, too,” he added.
“England bowled well against New Zealand, but a batting order featuring Rohit Sharma (who will hopefully be available), Che Pujara, Virat Kohli, and so on is a different kettle of fish,” added Pietersen.
The fifth Test was postponed after a Covid-19 attack on the Indian team in 2021. With a win or a draw in this game, the visitors, who are currently leading the series 2-1, will have won their fourth-consecutive Test series against England in England.
(Betway inputs)
