No Place For Virat Kohli In Kevin Pietersen’s All-Time Test XI? Former England captain Kevin Pietersen is known as one of the most talented and amongst the greatest batters to have played for England.
Although Pietersen’s career suffered a premature end, he had by then established himself in record books and is currently England’s highest third-leading international run-scorer with 13779 runs. He slammed 32 centuries and 67 fifties in his entertaining career in the England shirt.
Speaking with cricket.com.au in 2018, on the YouTube channel, Kevin Pietersen picked his all-time best Test eleven. There were a few surprising omissions, especially Virat Kohli, who is regarded as an all-time great batter.
For openers, Pietersen had Virender Sehwag, someone who batted in a similar dashing and electric way as Pietersen. To partner Sehwag is the ‘God of cricket’, Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in Tests and ODI with 34357 runs, though Tendulkar batted at number 4 for most of his Test career
Jacques Kallis, arguably the greatest ever all-rounder, is at number 3 in Pietersen’s team. Kallis is the third-highest Test run-getter with 13289 runs and also snared 292 wickets in the longest format. Following Kallis is the second-highest run-scorer in Tests, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who amassed 13378 Test runs.
Former Sri Lankan captain and country’s leading Test run-getter, Kumar Sangakkara, is the wicket-keeper in Pietersen’s line-up. AB de Villiers, who averaged 50 in 114 Tests, the dynamic South African, is responsible for the late order hitting in Pietersen’s team.
Kevin Pietersen has gone for a four-pronged pace attack that has all the qualities: James Anderson and Shaun Pollock for their swing and seam movement, the metronomic legendary Australian Glenn McGrath, and Brett Lee for his high pace. Anderson and McGrath are the two leading Test pacers of all time.
Kevin Pietersen has one spinner in his team: the spin king Shane Warne, who, with 708 scalps, is the second-highest Test wicket-taker.
Kevin Pietersen all-time Test XI: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), AB de Villiers, Shaun Pollock, Brett Lee, Shane Warne, James Anderson, Glenn McGrath
