The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ‘We need to think of a better method than D/L’

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‘We need to think of a better method than D/L’

Principal Correspondent

— Photo: AFP

Kevin Pietersen.

BANGALORE: The disappointment was acute but Kevin Pietersen gamely tried to mask it at the post-match press conference at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday night.

The England captain, however, conceded that India played “fantastic cricket” after his team lost the current seven-match series following Sunday’s defeat at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Pietersen promised that his players would still keep their chins up and “fire on all cylinders” in the remaining three ODIs. He said: “The Indians played really well and they are at the top of their game. I opted to field first keeping in mind the rains and the possibility of the Duckworth-Lewis equation cropping up. Our batsmen did a good job, especially Owais Shah who came in at number three and played such a fine innings.

“Flintoff, too, played well and we were in with a chance but in the end it got a bit too much. Freddie hit probably the biggest six (off Harbhajan Singh) I have ever seen in my life. With the Power Play factor in ODIs, I guess we need to think about a better method than Duckworth-Lewis.”

Pietersen admitted that getting used to the Indian conditions has been tough. “I guess we are taking time getting acclimatised to the conditions. In England we have swing, seam and bounce. Here all these things happen in the first three balls and nothing much after that on flat wickets. We need to cope with it,” he said.

He emphasised that the team morale was good despite the four successive defeats. “The players have their chins up. We have lost the series but there are three matches to go and we need to win them as we have a Test series coming up.

Treated well

“The players love being in India. Cricket is a religion, a passion here, and we have been treated well and what better place to play than here. I wouldn’t want them to have their chins down.”

As he left the conference hall, Pietersen said: “We will come out firing on all cylinders, that is the way to go.”

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