Kevin Pietersen- a South African born English, who, on his
day, made batting look ridiculously easy. From being sublime on one day to
being terrible on the other, his batting very much resembled his way of life. Pietersen
was like a chirping bird who sang his melodies rather freely in an otherwise
quite conservative and disciplined English Cricketing culture. He was as much
hated as much as he was loved. But one thing that very much defines Pietersen
is his ability to stand up when the chips are down. Throughout his English
career, especially in Test Cricket, he somehow always found a way to excel either
when he was pushed in a corner or when the going got really tough against tough
opponents under toughest of the situations. When he began his English career in
one-dayers, no one ever thought that he would have a great Test Career, but by
the time the Ashes Series of 2005 ended, his first Test series, people knew
that he wasn’t an ordinary player. Pietersen’s batting was marked by arrogance
or confidence, whatever you want to call it and he always loved the centre
stage. He was an impact player that could turn the Test Match on its head
within a matter of a session. His stroke-play was exuberating and his presence
at the crease was breathtaking. In early 2014, when he had to unceremoniously
exit the international Cricket following the disastrous Ashes series down
under, he had already amassed 8181 Test runs in 104 Tests and is still the
highest run-getter for England across all the formats of the game. While he has
23 Test hundreds in all, let’s take a look at 5 of his memorable Test hundreds
that defined his Test Career and made him one of the greatest English batsman
to have ever played the game.
#1: 158 Vs Australia, The KIA Oval,
September 2005
12th September 2005, last day of an Ashes Series
and England were already leading the Ashes series 2-1 and a draw on a final day
was good enough for them to regain the Ashes. England were in a good position
at 67/1, but, with two wickets off back to back deliveries from McGrath brought
Pietersen to the crease and McGrath was on a hat-trick. Thanks to a good
decision from umpire Bowden, Pietersen survived the first ball scare. In an
hour’s time before lunch, Pietersen was roughed up by Lee and McGrath, but
managed to negotiate a serious spell of lethal fast bowling, and not to forget,
luck played its part too as Warne dropped a simple catch off KP at first slip.
What followed after lunch was simply phenomenal and it looked like it was
destined to be Pietersen’s day. Pietersen had clear ideas about what had to be
done and his stroke-play was breathtaking, something really rare and the way he
dominated the Aussies was something unheard of. Throughout his innings, he was
under immense pressure as wickets kept tumbling at the other end until he got
the able support of Ashley Giles. Pulling Brett Lee for a massive six or
hitting him straight back over his head are some of scintillating shots that
would be always echoed in my memory. He brought up his hundred, first of his
Test career, when he drove Tait through covers. The way Pietersen celebrated
his hundred and the way the capacity crowd erupted expressed what the hundred
meant to all of them. Neither Warne nor McGrath escaped the Pietersen’s
onslaught and by the time KP was dismissed, he had made 158 runs that ended
Australia’s streak and helped England regain the Ashes after a wait of 16 long
years. That innings certainly has to be most defining innings of Pietersen’s
career where he single-handedly carried the responsibility of his nation on his
shoulders.
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| Pietersen's debut hundred helped England regain the Ashes |
In the preceding Test series against Pakistan, Pietersen had
performed woefully at home. For the first time in his English career, he was
dropped from one-day team that played against Pakistan and desperately needed
to score some runs. He was going through a patch where he didn’t score an
international hundred for 18 months. In the winter of 2010-11, England were
touring down under for the Ashes and after a draw at Gabba, action returned for
the 2nd Test, this time at Adelaide Oval. Pietersen did get a start
at Gabba, scoring 43 in the first innings but the big scores that were quite a
hallmark of his short career so far were eluding him. Pietersen walked into bat
at 176/2 in first innings and looked in sublime touch from the word go. Pietersen
batted with absolute authority and his powerful stroke-play made the Australian
attack that comprised of Siddle, Harris, Bollinger and Watson look like a club
bowling attack. KP got to his hundred when he tucked Harris for a single and
his yelling after he got there expressed a huge sigh of relief and a deep sense
of satisfaction on achieving the coveted three-figure mark that eluded him for
past 18 months. The highlight of this innings was the way in which KP responded
when pampered with short-ball stuff. With three fielders fine leg, square leg
and deep mid-wicket in place, KP toyed with Siddle and Harris’s bowling as his
shots hit with immense powers kept bisecting all of them. Pietersen scored a
double hundred and eventually was dismissed for his career-best Test score of
227 as his innings played a lion’s share not only in winning the Test match but
also in breaking the backbone of Australia’s bowling attack.
#3: 151 Vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, April 2012
It was a second Test of two-match Test series and England had
already lost the first Test. Pietersen was touring the island nation for second
time and had a disastrous outing in all of the previous four Test matches in Si
Lanka. He was out of sorts in Test series against Pakistan as well that was
played in UAE in early 2012 and was keen on proving a point this time around.
England needed someone in the batting department to stand up and play well if
they wanted to level the 2-match series. Pietersen just as he had done on
number of previous occasions took upon himself to change the fortunes of his
team and his policy of attack is the best form of defense was just ideal for
the situation. Throughout the innings, he took a special liking to spinners and
Suraj Randiv and Dilshan faced the brunt of KP’s aggression. The shots that he
hit dancing down the wicket were delightful to watch as he played with the
field brilliantly playing sweeps, reverse sweeps and occasional switch hit as
well. Another important aspect about that innings was the way he played
left-arm spinner Herath. Understanding his problems against left-arm spin, KP
played Herath through the line and hit him mostly through the off-side, over
the head of covers. Fittingly, Pietersen brought up his hundred with a switch
hit and capacity crowd had witnessed a whirlwind, breathtaking innings from an
extra-ordinary player that they were waiting for throughout the winter. Pietersen’s
151 came from just 165 balls as his innings comprised of 16 fours and 6 massive
sixes. Pietersen’s 151 ensured England won the 2nd Test convincingly
and levelled the 2-match series 1-1.
#4: 149 Vs South Africa, Headingley, August 2012
After his heroics against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and after
having a great IPL, Pietersen returned to England for English summer of 2012.
He had a relatively good Test series against Windies but what made the news
rather than his batting in that early part of that Summer was his talking, his
criticism against the ECB. His decision to retire from limited overs cricket
midway through the WI Test series, his love for the IPL and his criticism
against the ECB about not letting him play T20I’s while giving up ODI’s were in
spot-light. In the later part of that summer, South-Africa visited England for
a 3-match Test series. England lost the first Test at Oval and while action
headed to Headingley at Leeds, much was at stake for Pietersen and England. At
Headingley, South Africa batted first and scored 419 and at 85/2 in England’s
first innings, walked in Kevin Pietersen against his country of birth. Steyn
and Morkel were in the middle of a good spell and Pietersen and Trott were
under pressure. Right at the start of his innings, Pietersen was pampered with
some short ball stuff and Pietersen wasn’t going to be defensive. With some
luck and some skill, Pietersen withered the initial storm. His ability to hit
the ball on the up was on offer as he neither spared Steyn nor Morkel. But, the
highlight of his innings was the way he completely dominated the short-ball
bowling, first from Steyn and then from Morkel. They continued to bowl him
short and KP pulled them all day long, not at all giving any chance to the
fielders in the deep. Such was the domination and stature of Pietersen’s
batting that in the partnership of 147 runs between him and James Taylor,
Taylor managed to score only 34. Following his hundred, Pietersen was on song
as he made Steyn look like a school-boy bowler when he hit him for an array of
boundaries and sixes and the six that KP hit over Steyn’s head was simply
sublime. Pietersen’s enterprising 149 was an innings worth its weight in gold
and he desperately needed that, not only for himself, but for his team as well.
While he talked all summer long, he let his bat do the talking this time around
at Headingley and though his innings didn’t secure a win for England, it
certainly helped them draw the Test match and saved England from suffering yet
another defeat.
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| Massive moment for KP as he rose to the occasion and struck a gritty 149 against Proteas |
#5: 186 Vs India, Mumbai, November 2012
It was the second Test of the winter between India and England
at Mumbai. In the first Test at Ahmedabad, India thrashed England and Kevin
Pietersen, the man who was reintegrated into the team following his derogatory
messages saga found himself in hapless situation against the left-arm spin of
Pragyan Ojha. When Pietersen joined Captain Cook in the middle after India had
scored 327 in first innings, he looked determined and couldn’t afford to fail
this time around, especially after a disastrous outing in the previous Test. He
not only had to win back the trust of English players and fans but also had a
point to prove against his old nemesis, the commodity called left-arm spin.
Pietersen was quite fluent right from the start unlike his tentativeness that
was quite evident in the previous Test. It seemed that he had done his homework
quite well as he picked up the length of the ball quite early and combated the
spin by going towards the pitch of the ball. He played the spinners beautifully
both off the front foot and off the back foot as well. He used his feet and
used the long reach that he has got quite effectively to deposit the flighted
deliveries into the stands. Pietersen’s batting on that wicket, that turned
square wasn’t about hanging out there but he dictated his own terms on the
bowlers. Such was the class of Pietersen and Cook that even the commentators
commented: don’t think that the wicket has fallen in love of the batsmen but it
is the genius of Pietersen and Cook that is making batting look ridiculously easy.
The greatness of Pietersen’s 186 lies in the fact that on a rank-turner where
every other English batsman except Cook struggled and wasn’t sure about how
much the ball is going to turn, Pietersen showed tremendous self-confidence as
he thoroughly dominated the bowlers and made them to bowl at him and never
allowed anyone to settle, be it any of the three spinners and to produce such a
knock under grueling conditions after all the things that he had gone through
in past six months spoke about his immense character and will-power. The silent,
unpietersen-like celebration after he got to his hundred was a testimony about
how focused he was and this innings would have certainly given him a deep sense
of satisfaction. Pietersen’s 186 played a pivotal role in English victory and
KP was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match.
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| KP's 186: Perhaps the greatest innings played by an English batsman ever on Indian soil |
While Pietersen’s England career is already over and even
though he plays in various T20 competitions across the globe, he deserves all
the credit for his contribution towards English Cricket and has thoroughly
entertained Cricket fans all over the World. After he says a final goodbye to
the game as player, he should always be remembered as a maverick and perhaps
the most charismatic and gifted English player of this generation and not for
all the controversies and the clashes that he has been involved in. He didn’t
get a ceremonious England exit and let’s hope that he gets a grand exit once he
finally decides to hang up his boots from all forms of the game.
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