Ex-England player Kevin Pietersen has shared his strategy for handling India’s Ravichandran Ashwin’s ‘doosra’ stroke. His knack for this came alive during the tour of India prior to the top-notch five-game series. As a retired right-hander, he detailed Ashwin’s ‘doosra’ set up, steering him to confidently hit off-side.
Ravichandran Ashwin is a crucial player for Team India, exemplified particularly in home Tests. He showcases an impeccable record, with a remarkable tally of 337 wickets from 55 home Tests. He boasts an average of 20.88 and 26 instances of taking five wickets. To compare, Kevin Pietersen’s statistics in India are similarly astounding, having accumulated 703 runs in nine matches, yielding an average of 43.94. His highest score is 186.
In an interview with Times.co.uk’s Michael Atherton, the 43-year-old said:
“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.”
Kevin Pietersen
The veteran of 104 Tests claimed to have known when Ashwin would bowl that delivery and to have been prepared to smash the ball over the off-side.
“I was 100 percent 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.
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen’s game-changing innings of 186 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the 2012 series included 233 balls and 20 fours and four sixes. Through his innings, the South African-born hitter helped England take a commanding lead and even the series.
“Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbw” – Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen clarified that in the forthcoming five-match Test series against Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, English batsmen need exercise caution to avoid being bowled or leg before wicket. He declared:
“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. If you nick it to slip, no problem at all. If you get bowled or lbw that’s a big issue.”
Kevin Pietersen
On January 25, in Hyderabad, India and England will play their first Test match.