Kevin Pietersen decodes his spin mastery as England look to recreate 2012 India

Team India is all set to lock horns with England in a fivematch test series which will kick start on January 25 Ahead of the series former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen decoded his spin mastery against the Indian spinnersEngland great Kevin Pietersen said that his intense defensive drills at the nets were the mantra for his success against India in the 201212 tour In the second test in Mumbai Pietersen smashed 186 runs in 233 deliveries and it is also seen as one of the best batting performances by a foreign batsman on a tour to IndiaPietersens knock helped to shift the momentum in Englands favour The visitors were defeated in the first test match setting the tourists on the way to their first series win in India in 27 years India have not lost a series at home since thenGetting runs is just going to be a fluke without a defence the 43yearold told Mike Atherton in a candid interview in The TimesAlso Read IPL breaks sponsorship records TATA Group secures title sponsorship rights for 20242028As England will clash with India in a fivematch test series Pietersens thoughts provide a clear view of the challenges and opportunities that await them in IndiaPietersen recalled that the English batters would do shadowbatting all the time We used to do this drill all the time in India Joe Root Jonny Bairstow and me Rooty is spectacular as good as anyoneIts about learning not to commit yourself on to the front foot about waiting to pick the length of the ball so you are not playing only with your handsTo do that the drill is to hit any ball wherever it pitches through the off sideId spend time in the nets just defending its actually not negative to defend The ability to defend gives you the confidence to be able to attackDefend play straight lines dont plant your front foot wait for the ball dont play just with your hands If you can do that and you have the wherewithal to be able to commit to a solid defence and trust it then it allows you to loosen up he addedPietersens innings stood out for his adept handling of ace Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwins variations particularly the doosraGiven that Ashiwn is again going to figure in the scheme of things Pietersen said the key is to pick up the style of his deliveryI picked Ashwins doosra He used to load the ball at the back of his runup 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 cant do that He loaded it up early I was 100 per cent confident when he was going to bowl it and youd see how many times I hit him over the off side Id see the doosra at the back of his mark and because he had a stacked legside field because the ball was turning so much Id think four or sixAlso Read Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik ties knot with actress Sana JavedFor the leftarm finger spinners Pietersen said I faced Ravindra Jadeja a lot Its about technique Jadeja is not Murali and hes not Shane Warne Hes a leftarm spinner that bowls it one way and occasionally gets the ball to slide on If your technique is solid enough to play the ball that skids on you should be fineIf your feet are good and you are not planting your front foot and you are playing down the line of the ball you should be fine Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbwIf you nick it to slip no problem at all If you get bowled or lbw thats a big issue You have so much time to wait for the ball and then judge length or line and then moveRoot announced his arrival in Test cricket with a halfcentury in that series Root along with Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson are the surviving members of the series that took place more than a decade agoA big fan of Root Pietersen said the English batter is reinventing himself and would be a key player for the visitorsHe waits for the ball He doesnt commit he plays off the back foot He is so so brilliant and so decisive on whether to go forward or back He is the most fabulous playerAnd he is becoming an even better player because his range of stroke is broadening Reversesweeping seamers shows an extravagance that is coming from someone who was quite correct for such a long period of time Hes reinventing himself and becoming a more dangerous playerSo can England deliver againThis tour depends on the spinners I thought Panesar and Graeme Swann won that series for us We got runs of course Cookie got plenty I got plenty and I know you still have to get runsBut by the third Test of that series in Kolkata their spinners were trying to bowl quickly because they were trying to emulate our spinnersJimmy was incredible as well His skill and reverse swing That was one of Jimmys best tours I think He was amazing in Australia but seam bowling is fine there the way he was able to move the ball and the wickets he tookSo the question is can England deliver with the spinners they have Thats going to be what dictates the series Its going to spin I actually played in Vizag the other day It spun and bounced in a T20 gameGiven what happened in Cape Town the other week India won on a pitch favourable to fast bowlers that was marked poor they wont be shy in preparing something that spins and they will say Lets see what youve gotWith PTI Inputs