Dravid was a ‘genuine guru’ for me: Pietersen

Rahul Dravid (left) and Kevin Pietersen.

Agencies/London

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen’s book launch has been mostly negative in the media, but one positive aspect has been the revelation that India legend Rahul Dravid played a big role in Pietersen’s batting.

The South Africa-born player did not have a good record against spin bowling, especially of left-armers, for much of his career, but wrote in his book that Dravid helped him a lot, via e-mails and private conversations, and was a real ‘guru’ for him.

Pietersen wrote: “Rahul was a great and heroic Indian batsman in his day. He is also a genius at dealing with spin bowlers. Our conversations and e-mails were a private masterclass 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.”

Pietersen revealed some bits of the e-mails, with Dravid apparently writing: “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 wrote of the effect it had on his batting: “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.”

Pietersen was outspoken about the unfriendliness of his teammates and was all praise for the IPL for the “adrenalin rush” and its atmosphere for bonding. “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.”

The batsman also said that the IPL and India’s general style of play suited his mindset, as they were not as worried about being conservative.

“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,” he wrote