Kevin Pietersen hasn’t started off with a bang. At top of the order, he could, however, prove to be a big threat against India on Sunday.
This is an attempt to find ways how to get him cheaply or at least minimize the damage he could cause.
Shuffler
He walks across the stump, gets inside the line of the ball and whips it off to the less protected areas on-side areas. The ploy is to get the bowler bowl on his pads, which is his strength.
Way to go: Someone like Zaheer Khan could bowl straight to him with the new ball, but with old ball it’s advisable not to fall in the trap. With older ball, one needs to bowl outside the off stump, especially on slower tracks
Down the track: Prefers walking down the track to unsettle the bowler. As his head remains still even while walking, he's always in control of the shot. This way he challenges the bowler to bowl short, for which he's ready with his pull.
Way to go: Change of pace and hitting the 3/4th length.
{{/usCountry}}Way to go: Change of pace and hitting the 3/4th length.
{{/usCountry}}Right Place
Field positions: One may start with the traditional 6-3 (off-on) field, but it won’t be a bad idea to get a short mid-wicket fielder inside the 15 yards if he doesn’t get out early.
Pietersen has the tendency to hit balls in the air off his pads; hence that fielder would come handy. More importantly by blocking his scoring area, you'd be challenging him to do something different.