With England firmly on the backfoot in the ongoing first Test against India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, their former captain Kevin Pietersen has come up with an important piece of advice for them.
Ben Stokes won a good toss on the first day and England were bowled out for 246 runs. The visitors looked set to score big on certain occasions but could not capitalise on those situations. Their openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett added 55 runs for the first wicket before they lost 3 wickets for 5 runs. It was followed by a 61-run stand between Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow before they suffered another collapse.
At one stage, England were reeling at 155 for 7 and the 200-run mark was looking like a distant dream. However, Stokes launched a stunning counterassault and scored a fine fifty to take his team to a competitive total. The England captain scored 70 runs.
In reply, India came out all guns blazing with Yashasvi Jaiswal firing on all cylinders. The hosts raced away to 119 for 1 at stumps on the opening day with Jaiswal scoring 76 runs. He completed his fifty in just 47 balls and shared a 80-run stand with captain Rohit Sharma for the opening wicket. England’s spinners had a tough outing on the first day as they were taken to the cleaners.
With the spinners struggling, Kevin Pietersen advised England to start day with Joe Root. Taking to X, the former England captain suggested that Root could spin the ball at the start of the second day, writing: “Can Joe Root PLEASE bowl first up this morning! He WIL spin the ball! ??”
Can Joe Root PLEASE bowl first up this morning!
He WIL spin the ball! 🙏🏽#INDvENG— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) January 26, 2024
Joe Root justifies Kevin Pietersen
England did start the proceedings on day two with Joe Root and the decision paid off. Jaiswal hit the former England skipper for a four on the second ball of the day but Root had the last laugh as he dismissed the India opener two balls later.
