The not so little master, Kevin Pietersen
By Rayed Mamun – 12 April 2007
At first glance it seems Sachin Tendulkar and Kevin Pietersen are like chalk and cheese. The only similarity it seems, is that they play cricket. However, their mental attitude, and the unfortunate way their careers are turning out to be, make Pietersen the new Tendulkar.
Kevin Pietersen is the most consistent batsman in the world today. So consistent are his performances that he has recently become the number one batsman in the world. His ability take on the most formidable bowlers, particularly Warne and McGrath, with such audacity and temperament, make him the brilliant player that he is today.
Although Sachin Tendulkar bats nothing like Pietersen in a technical sense, the similarities mentally, are the same. Tendulkar fought countless battles in the 1990s against the best bowlers in the world. Not only did he fight where many had perished, he won. Rarely did he lose a battle with McGrath, Warne or Wasim Akram. Pietersen is shaping up to be a similar sort of player, in this sense.
There is dark side to Pietersen’s prowess, which I think will mirror Tendulkar once again. Despite becoming arguably, one of the best batsmen since Sir Donald Bradman, we must ask, how many tournaments did India win (especially away from home) when Sachin was in his prime? When he performed, the team did well, and vice-versa. The team was so dependent on him. Look at Pietersen now. He has been England’s saviour quite a few times during this World Cup, when their top order has consistently done poorly. This was the same story during the recent Ashes series as well.
The number one batsman in the world is playing for the number seven ranked team. Pietersen’s career from a team perspective isn’t likely match the tremendous talent that he is. His career will be left just as unfulfilled as Sachin Tendulkar’s. You can’t help but feel for these men, they deserve so much better.