Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has lavished praise on India captain Virat Kohli for his passion to play and perform in Test cricket, especially at the time when the longer format needs “global superstars” to focus on it.
“Kohli knows that to be considered a legend of the game, he needs to deliver in this format as well as in T20,” Pietersen wrote in his blog post for Betway.
“That’s why he puts so much importance on this format and at a time when Test cricket needs all the love it can get, how good is it to see a global superstar so passionate about it,” he added.
During his purple patch between 2018-19, Kohli became the first Indian batsman to score seven double-centuries in Test cricket and then led India to its first series win against Australia Down Under.
Moreover, India were one of the finalists in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship apart from New Zealand. India though suffered a defeat in the title clash against the Blackcaps.
Under Kohli, India started off the WTC 2 cycle with the tour of England and presently lead the five-match Test series by 1-0 after drafting England in a nerve-wracking victory at Lord's.
The first match in Nottingham ended in a draw after rain played spoilsport on the final day of the encounter while the visitors clinched a 151-run win in the second to go 1-0 up in the series.
Talking about the series, Pietersen lauded India and said that they would have taken 2-0 lead if the Nottingham Test hadn’t ended in a draw due to rain.
“It’s very difficult for subcontinental teams to come to England and perform, but they would probably be 2-0 up after two matches if it weren’t for the rain at Trent Bridge,” Pietersen said.
The two sides will now face each other in the third Test in Leeds scheduled to begin on August 25.