The Hindu : Sport : Pietersen needs to be his usual self

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Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008
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Pietersen needs to be his usual self

Pietersen did not exhibit the much-expected flair in his captaincy, writes W.V. Raman

The series between England and India was dubbed as a face-off between Kevin Pietersen and Mahendra Singh Dhoni as both of them are charismatic and adopt their own methods to smash the ball around the park. The public felt that their flamboyant approach will be a frontline feature in their captaincy as well.

Though Pietersen displayed enough leadership abilities in persuading his team to travel back to India, he for some reason did not exhibit the much-expected flair in his captaincy. Dhoni for example, leads his side in the same manner that he bats and is hardly defensive unless he is left with no option. Similarly an aggressive approach was expected from Pietersen as a captain to go with his basic style of batting.

Contrasting methods

Contrary to expectations, Pietersen chose to adopt contrasting methods as a batsman and a captain. He did not show any reluctance to attack the Indian attack at Mohali and once he got into his groove, he played some audacious shots as well.

His century was enterprising and provided the entertainment that one looks forward to when the English skipper is at the crease. However, he was rather defensive as a captain, a trait that did not match his personality.

There was enough help for the bowlers at Mohali and it was rather strange that the English skipper did not provide his spinners with adequate close-in catchers.

One gets the impression that KP was trying to strike a compromise between his own style and that of Peter Moores, the England coach. In doing that, not only did KP allow the Indian batsmen to bat with freedom but also negated whatever good work his spinners did.

Monty Panesar looked ill at ease as he seemed to be confused with regard to the line to bowl apart from switching from round to over the wicket more out of hope than with any clear-cut intent. The chief spinner for England struggled completely at Chennai and also at Mohali until he got his first wicket.

Whether he lacked the confidence as he embarked on this tour or his efficiency suffered due to poor tactics and strange field placements is debatable but any side is in for a struggle if its lead spinner does not perform at his best in India. The equation might have been different if Panesar was made to bowl from an orthodox angle and with an aggressive approach as the rookie off-spinner Swann was on song in both the Tests.

Pietersen is probably as experienced or inexperienced as Dhoni is in terms of captaincy, but he was below par which creates a doubt if he was his own self as a captain. He batted in his characteristic manner alright and enthralled the Sunday crowd at Mohali but in adopting half measures as a captain, he missed out on a great chance of winning the Test at Chennai and will rue the missed opportunity for sometime at least as winning a Test or series in India is deemed as a coveted achievement by visiting sides.

Pietersen needs to realise that bowlers cannot do well unless they are handled well and by extension a team cannot win if the bowlers cannot get 20 wickets.

As a batsman, Pietersen without doubt will figure among the best in the business but if he can turn on his aggression, he can become an outstanding captain as well.

He has proved that he has the leadership qualities in him but at the moment he is a bit short in strategy management and once the latter aspect starts to catch up with the former, he can go on to become as successful a captain as a Mike Brearley or a Mark Taylor.

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