Last Updated on 1 hour ago by Charbel Coorey
Joe Root believes Kevin Pietersen will succeed as mentor of England’s white-ball teams. The Test captain says he learnt a lot from his former teammate during his playing days, and expects the current crop of players to benefit from Pietersen’s knowledge.
Pietersen was in the England Test side when Root debuted in Nagpur in 2012. They played 12 Tests together as well as nine ODIs, and ‘KP’ was a player Root was “shadowing all the time.”
Pietersen was dropped in 2014, and there have been well-documented issues between he and the ECB, as well as the captains at the time especially Andrew Strauss. However, this appointment signals a fresh start, and one the former England batsman is “immensely proud” of.
“I really enjoyed him as a senior player, coming into the team. He was someone I’d be shadowing all the time,” Root said, as quoted by The Guardian.
“That first tour of India in particular, I would try to buddy up with him in the nets, watch how he practised, watch how he did things, ask for advice. He was really open, really honest, very helpful. And if he can offer that kind of stuff in a coaching capacity as he did as a senior player, I think it’s really going to benefit us as a group.”
Joe Root believes Kevin Pietersen will succeed as mentor of England’s white-ball teams
Critics of the Pietersen appointment point to his outspoken nature and history of issues within the England setup. However, Root says the players will benefit from his experience and knowledge.
“Why would you get him involved if you didn’t want him to tell you what he thinks and give his insight of the game? He’s very knowledgable, he’s got a very good understanding of batting in particular and he’s got a huge amount of energy,” Root said.
“I think he’s going to be great for the group.”
Pietersen will join England’s white-ball teams for their upcoming ODI and T20I assignments at home against Sri Lanka. England have found some form under Harry Brook’s captaincy, winning their last two ODI series and enjoying a solid run in T20Is, including reaching the World Cup semi-final earlier this year.
