Kevin Pietersen has come out in praise of Rahul Dravid for shaping his batting technique.
Maverick England discard, Kevin Pietersen, who has had a turbulent time with the England team management,admits that meeting Rahul Dravid in India was a blessing, and has praised the former Indian legend in shaping up his batting technique.
Pietersen, who recently launched his book 'KP', says an e-mail by Dravid on tackling his weakness against spin bowling, helped him immensly and brought to light his batting flaws.
"Rahul was a great and heroic Indian batsman in his day. He is also a genius at dealing with spin bowlers. Our conversations and emails were a private master class from a genuine guru.Rahul improved my cricket and helped me develop the way I think about the game. His generosity will stay with me always," said Pietersen about Dravid.
The e-mail from Dravid goes as :"KP, you are a really good player, you need to watch the ball and trust yourself... Don't let anyone tell you that you can't play spin, I have seen you and you can!"
Pietersen admitted that reading the e-mail was an inspiration and also was glad about the fact that Dravid referred him as 'champ'.
"My playing of spin has gone up a number of levels since I've spent time in the IPL, and in particular, since I've spoken to Rahul Dravid...In England, batsmen get taught to play with the spin against spin bowlers. In India, the best players of spin get taught to play against it," elaborates Pietersen.
Pietersen has had a torrid relationship with then England coach Andy Flower and skipper Alastair Cook, and has been embroiled in a war of words with the duo since the 2013-14 Ashes campaign in Australia.
Pietersen, who also is all praise for the Indian Premier League (IPL) further stated: "The IPL is the future... I could talk about money and the IPL all day to you, but for the friendships alone I would play for free."
"I've built all my relationships with foreign cricketers while in the IPL. That doesn't help in the England dressing room... There are not many of those friendships," added Pietersen.
Pietersen also labels India's love for cricket as 'genuine' and feels the general attitude towards cricket in the country as good for the game.
"There is a culture in India that appreciates if you double down and go for the big shot. It's a game of cricket, not economics. Not life or death. Take a risk. IPL crowds don't want to see you batting out singles as you pick and choose which balls to hit. Life is too short," says Pietersen.
"The IPL is professionalism taken to its logical extreme. All the bullshit and hypocrisy have been turned off," added Pietersen.
Pietersen's England career was cut short in February 2014 when the England and Wales Cricket Board decided to discard him from the national team after the Ashes controversy.
The maverick batsman has also not ruled out a return to international cricket and hopes to make it back to the England team some day.
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