Kevin Pietersen says batting is ‘way easier’ today

New Delhi

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has stirred a debate by saying batting today is much easier than 20 to 25 years ago. Pietersen shared his opinion on social media after England’s Joe Root became the second-highest Test run-scorer, surpassing Australian legend Ricky Ponting.

Pietersen, who played 104 Tests for England, said batting was “twice as hard” in his time. He mentioned many great bowlers from the past like Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Wasim Akram. Pietersen challenged fans to name ten modern bowlers as good as those from the past. He questioned the quality of today’s bowlers compared to legends from earlier times.

Pietersen scored over 8,000 runs in Tests with 23 centuries. He said it is unfair to compare current batters to legends because the conditions were very different.

Joe Root’s recent century helped England take a strong lead against India. Root’s 38th Test hundred put him fourth on the all-time list and second in runs, behind only Sachin Tendulkar.