Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has expressed that the English team’s prospects in the upcoming five-match Test series against India could be impacted by the absence of young batter Harry Brook. The Britishers had high hopes from Harry Brook as he is someone who has the ‘X’ factor.
A talented middle-order batsman, Brook has opted out of the India tour for personal reasons. Pietersen believes that Brook’s presence would have been crucial in the series, particularly under the guidance of head coach Brendon McCullum.
I hope all is ok with Harry Brook- Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen expressed his thoughts on the matter on X (formerly Twitter):
“Crickey, I hope all is ok with Harry Brook and his family, first and foremost! Secondly, that’s a major blow to England’s chances, becenause under Baz, Harry is an absolute STAR!”
Announcing Brook’s unavailability for the 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.”
In preparation for the five-match series against India, England conducted a preparatory camp in Abu Dhabi.
I picked Ravichandran Ashwin’s doosra– Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen noted that Team India’s experienced spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, is likely to play a significant role on the spin-friendly surfaces during the series against England. Pietersen shared his past experience facing Ashwin, expressing confidence in anticipating the direction of the spin. According to Pietersen, Ashwin tends to load the ‘doosra’ early in the delivery rather than making a last-minute grip adjustment.
In an discussion with Michael Atherton for Times.co.uk, Kevin Pietersen explained,
“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 is scheduled to be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from January 25 to 29.