Pietersen defends Ahmedabad pitch, citing his innings from 2012

Kevin Pietersen’s innings from the 2012 Mumbai Test is still cited as a reference whenever a team finds itself dancing to the tunes of the spinner on Indian pitches.

Pietersen’s 186 runs on a turner had helped England register a huge 10-wicket win in the game. And since the debate around Ahmedabad pitch has been raging on, the former England batsman deemed it fit to recall his innings from eight years ago.

"Go and have a look at a lot of the balls that were bowled in Mumbai. And guess what, I found a way and I defended every single ball that was straight. Every single ball that pitched and bounced and went over my shoulder, I parked it to one side and said 'I’m never hitting that so who cares? Who cares if that goes through the top?' he told TalkSport.

Pietersen joined the side of those cricketers who have found nothing wrong with the pitch. The other side has been criticizing the pitch for being too difficult.

"Neither that pitch in Mumbai eight years ago nor the one in Ahmedabad were dangerous. No one was worried about getting hurt on Thursday. And who cares about the ball that pitches and goes straight to slip? You are not going to hit it. But find a way to intimidate the bowler.

"How many of the England batsmen came down the wicket and punched it to mid-off like Rohit Sharma did when he batted in the first innings? How many tried to rotate strike by using the crease, coming down the wicket? They were just sitting ducks waiting to get done.”

"Go and have a look at my innings that I played in Mumbai in 2012 on an absolute Bunsen burner. They say it’s the greatest innings played by a foreigner in India," Pietersen further added.

The 40-year-old also praised skipper Virat Kohli and Joe Root for their solid technique needed for these wickets.

"There are only two great Test match batsmen on show here: Virat Kohli and Joe Root. There are some very good players in the rest of the batting line-up. But on that kind of wicket, when it’s going to be testing your skill and your technique and your resolve, you need better players and better players would have been able to adapt at some stage," he signed off.