'I picked Ashwin’s ‘doosra’ - Kevin Pietersen recalls tackling Ashwin, advises England to replicate same

In a recent revelation, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen shared insights on how he countered the threat posed by Ravichandran Ashwin during the 2012 Test series in India. Pietersen, who was instrumental in England's series win back then, offered advice to current players like Ben Stokes on facing spinners on challenging Indian pitches. 

Recounting his pivotal innings of 186 in Mumbai, he highlighted his strategy of attacking Ashwin through the off side, successfully decoding the spinner's "doosra." With India's current squad boasting spinners like Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, the 43-year-old's counsel could prove invaluable for England in their upcoming series. The 2012 triumph remains etched in history as England seek to replicate its success in the subcontinent.

“I picked Ashwin’s ‘doosra’. He used to load the ball at the back of his run-up, and I think he still does that now. He never ran up with the ball in his hand as an off-spinner and changed it late for the doosra; you can’t do that. He loaded it up early,” said Pietersen in an interview for The Times.

“I was 100 per cent confident when he was going to bowl it and you’d see how many times I hit him over the off side. I’d see the doosra at the back of his mark and, because he had a stacked leg-side field because the ball was turning so much, I’d think ‘four or six,” he added.

Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbw: Pietersen

As the eagerly anticipated five-match Test series kicks off on January 25 in Hyderabad, a pitch expected to favour spin, Pietersen offered strategic advice. He underscored the threat posed by spinners Jadeja and Axar alongside Ashwin. Stressing the importance of technique against Jadeja, he urged England batters to avoid being dismissed bowled or lbw by the left-arm finger spinners.

“I faced Jadeja a lot. It’s about technique. Jadeja is not Murali and he’s not Shane Warne. He’s a left-arm spinner that bowls it one way and occasionally gets the ball to slide on. If your technique is solid enough to play the ball that skids on, you should be fine. If your feet are good, and you are not planting your front foot and you are playing down the line of the ball, you should be fine. Just make sure you are not getting bowled or lbw,” Pietersen concluded.