×

Will Yuvraj’s success against Pietersen help him get back into the Indian Test team?

Comeback man Kevin Pietersen announced his arrival in India with typical authority, essaying strokes with panache in the warm-up against India A. However, it was his nemesis Yuvraj Singh who yet again deceived him and had him caught and bowled to end a promising knock.

Related articles

Will Yuvraj success against Pietersen help him get back into the Indian Test team?

Kevin Pietersen (left) and Yuvraj Singh may be fierce competitors on the field, but off the field they share a very warm friendship. Pietersen even visited Yuvraj at his home when the Indian all-rounder came back from his medical treatment in America © AFP

Comeback man Kevin Pietersen announced his arrival in India with typical authority, essaying strokes with panache in the warm-up against India A. However, it was his nemesis Yuvraj Singh who yet again deceived him and had him caught and bowled to end a promising knock. The “pie-chucker” – as Pietersen has referred to Yuvraj for quite some time – has had the last laugh in their first clash of the tour.  It is one of the most entertaining duels in recent times as the Indian has accounted for the flamboyant Englishman’s wicket on more than an occasion – six in total if you count the latest one.

 

The banter has been friendly in general and in good humour as the duo share a good rapport off the field. But, on the field of play they are two fierce competitors who take pride in playing for their respective teams. Pietersen has this fire to dominate every bowler, but has a bizarre tendency to fall to left-arm spinners. In that variety, Yuvraj is one who would certainly give him some nightmares.

 

Let us have a look at the Indian bowlers who have dismissed Pietersen the most number of times across all formats in international cricket:

 

Bowlers

M

Dismissals

Harbhajan Singh

20

6

Yuvraj Singh

26

5

S Sreesanth

13

5

Zaheer Khan

19

3

RP Singh

16

3

Munaf Patel

12

3

Suresh Raina

22

2

 

Harbhajan has accounted for Pietersen the most number of times for India, but he isn’t in the reckoning as far as the Tests are concerned. Despite being a “part-timer” for most of his career, Yuvraj is right up there with five dismissals, ahead of the likes of Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel. He may have played more matches against England when compared to the other bowlers, but the fact remains that he is a left-arm spinner – a variety Pietersen certainly doesn’t enjoy – and that he has troubled him a number of times.

 

Pietersen is a big wicket and India would be looking to put pressure on him in the Test series. He has been a thorn in their flesh a number of times and has the ability to turn matches on its head single-handedly.

Here is his overall record against India:

 

M

Runs

Avg

100s

50s

Highest

12

1243

62.15

5

4

202*

 

These are phenomenal numbers and truly reflect his dominance over the Indian bowling. When compared to those prolific numbers, his record in India’s doesn’t make a brilliant reading.

Here are his figures in India:

 

M

Runs

Avg

100s

50s

Highest

5

365

40.55

1

2

144

 

The last time England were here in 2008, Pietersen failed in the first Test and was under a bit of pressure going into the second. He bounced back with an innings of character – 144 at Mohali – which was full of his trademark strokes. A pertinent fact is that he was carrying a broken rib on that tour, which shows his fight and determination to succeed. He may not have the best track record in India, but the kind of player he is – one can never count him out from being a big player in the context of the series.

 

Keeping this in perspective and his latest dismissal to his old rival, does it strengthen Yuvraj’s chances of staking a claim for the number six slot in the Test matches? His bowling adds a dimension to the side and his repeated success against Pietersen may be a factor in the ultimate decision. If selected, Yuvraj’s primary role in the side would be that of a batsman and his bowling would always be the added bonus.
Prior to the India A-England encounter, it was built up as a Suresh Raina-Yuvraj contest for the No 6 spot. However, Manoj Tiwary has also thrown his hat in the ring with a fighting 93 in the first innings. Tiwary was the dark horse in the race and suddenly the world took note of his credentials. On Day Two, Yuvraj has strengthened his argument with a spell of two for 52. That performance would be talked about, but that one factor may not swing the equation tremendously in favour of Yuvraj. The selectors have to weigh in a number of factors before their final choice.

 

India already have a front-line left-arm spinner in Pragyan Ojha in their ranks. He has been absolutely brilliant in the last two home series and has formed a lethal partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin. India would certainly use him as a weapon to stop Pietersen’s charge and trouble him with the angle and the turn. Thus, they wouldn’t be dependent on Yuvraj alone to dismiss Pietersen and have another solid option to do the same.

 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was cautious in judging Yuvraj’s return and maintained that his fitness had to be determined. Yuvraj has done brilliantly well since his return to First-class cricket and it is truly commendable given the horror he went through a few months ago. However, Dhoni maintained that they had to ascertain whether Yuvraj can last two days on the field. Rushing him into the longest format isn’t in anybody’s interest.

 

Another interesting day lies ahead at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday and once can expect a few twists – not in the context of the game, but the race for the spots in the Test side.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and an analyst, anchor and voice-over artist for the site’s YouTube Channel. He shot to fame by spotting a wrong replay during IPL4 which resulted in Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. His insights on the game have come in for high praise from cerebral former cricketers. He has also participated on live TV talk-shows on cricket. Nishad can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nishad_44)

trending this week