"This was going to be our greatest Test"- Kevin Pietersen on England's 2012 series win over India
Kevin Pietersen played a defining role in helping England earn their first series win in India for 27 years when the two sides locked horns in 2012. The England batsman has now had his say on what he felt was his country's greatest ever Test series.
"It was a big tour, one where we needed all our big players playing well. We had a strong team, a very confident team. Everybody knew what they were doing and understood their roles. We'd raised the bar from any other England Test team I'd played in. This was going to be our greatest Test. We'd beaten Australia at home, we'd beaten Australia away, but beating India away was going to be an incredibly difficult experience," Pietersen told BBC.
All hope seemed lost for England after they were handed a crushing defeat by India in the first Test at Ahmedabad. But led by Kevin Pietersen and captain Alastair Cook, the tourists bounced back. They won the next two Tests to seal the series 2-1 with a draw in the final Test.
Kevin Pietersen ranks England's win in India among his top three moments
Kevin Pietersen believes that England's stunning 2-1 series win was one of his top three moments while playing for his country. The former England batsmen felt that he was always in control. And his knock of 186 in the second Test was dubbed by many as one of the greatest knocks by an opposition player in India.
"The 2005 Ashes was amazing, winning the 2010 World T20 was amazing. Those and India 2012 are the top three. Every single time I walked out to bat, if I knew I was in complete control of defending the bowlers' best ball, then it would be a day when I got runs."
Kevin Pietersen will hope that England's current crop of players can take inspiration from the win as they look to beat India in the upcoming Test series.