As Joe Root Closes In On Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen's Dig At Modern Bowlers: "Name Me 10..."
Don't shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then!
Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali,…
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) July 26, 2025
Pietersen, who played 104 Tests, 136 ODIs and 37 T20Is for England between 2005 and 2013, has been as flamboyant with his views as he was in the middle with the bat.
The former right-handed batter, who made 8,181 runs at 47.28 with 23 tons and 35 fifties in Test cricket, said batting was "twice as hard back then".
Pietersen named a host of bowlers from the past eras and challenged his readers to name 10 contemporary bowlers who can be compared with them.
"Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali, Curtley, Courtney and the list could go on and on..." "I've named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers that can compare to the names above?," he added.
Root scored 150 off 248 balls on Day 3 of the fourth Test against India. With this knock, Root surpassed Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
Talking about the fourth Test between India and England, riding on a hundred by skipper Ben Stokes, the visitors posted an imposing 669 in their first innings to take a massive 311-run lead on Day 4.
Stokes (141, 198 balls) put to rest his two-year long drought to make his 14th Test hundred as England marched on to a 600-plus total.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah finally conceded 100 runs or more in an innings for the first time in his 48th Test.
For India, Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets.
With the Old Trafford pitch showing increasing signs of variable bounce, Indian batters' task is cut out in the second innings.
(With PTI Inputs)
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