Kevin Pietersen’s advice to Ben Stokes and Co: Pick Ashwin’s ‘doosra,’ playing Jadeja is all about technique

Last time when England won a Test series in India in 2012, it was Kevin Pietersen, who turned the tide for the visitors with his magnificent 186 on a turner in the second Test in Mumbai. England went on to win the Test series 2-1.

In an interview to former England captain Michael Atherton for The Times, Pietersen opened up how he dealt Ravichandran Ashwin’s threat in that series and has some advice for Ben Stokes and co how to play the spinners on a rank turner in India.

India have picked four spinners in their squad, that includes Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

During his knock of 186 in Mumbai, Pietersen attacked Ashwin through and over the off side and he says he managed to do it after he started picking his “doosra.”

“I picked Ashwin’s ‘doosra’. He used to load the ball at the back of his run-up, and I think he still does that now. He never ran up with the ball in his hand as an off spinner and changed it late for the doosra; you can’t do that. He loaded it up early,” said Pietersen.

“I was 100 per cent confident when he was going to bowl it and you’d see how many times I hit him over the off side. I’d see the doosra at the back of his mark and, because he had a stacked leg-side field because the ball was turning so much, I’d think ‘four or six.’”

Barring Ashwin, the left-arm finger spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel will equally be a massive threat to India. Pietersen says against Jadeja, it is all about how one’s technique is. He explains: “I faced Jadeja a lot. It’s about technique. Jadeja is not Murali and he’s not Shane Warne. He’s a left-arm spinner that bowls it one way and occasionally gets the ball to slide on. If your technique is solid enough to play the ball that skids on, you should be fine.”

Pietersen’s advice to England batters is that they must not get out bowled or lbw against Jadeja and Axar.

“If your feet are good, and you are not planting your front foot and you are playing down the line of the ball, you should be fine. Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbw,” he said.

“If you nick it to slip, no problem at all. If you get bowled or lbw that’s a big issue. You have so much time to wait for the ball and then judge length or line and then move,” he added.

The first Test of five-match series will get underway from January 25 in Hyderabad.

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