"A major blow to England’s chances" - Kevin Pietersen on Harry Brook opting out of India tour due to personal reasons

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen believes that the absence of young batter Harry Brook will dent the English team's chances for the upcoming five-match away-from-home Test series against India.

The talented middle-order batter will return to England after he opted out of the India tour, citing personal reasons. Pietersen opined that Brook would have been a pivotal cog in the rubber under the guidance of head coach Brendon McCullum.

Pietersen wrote on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter):

"Crickey, I hope alls ok with Harry Brook and his family, first and foremost! Secondly, that’s a major blow to England’s chances, because under Baz, Harry is an absolute STAR!"

Sharing the news of Brook's unavailability for the Test series in India, the ECB shared an official statement that read:

"Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India. The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space. The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course."

England conducted a preparatory camp in Abu Dhabi to gear up for the five-match series.

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"He loaded it up early" - Kevin Pietersen on how he countered Ravichandran Ashwin's 'Doosra'

Team India's veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to play a major role against England on the spin-friendly Indian surfaces.

Kevin Pietersen mentioned that when he faced Ashwin in the past, he was pretty confident about which way the ball was going to spin. The cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that the bowler usually loads the 'doosra' early, instead of changing his grip at the last moment.

Speaking to Michael Atherton for Times.co.uk, he explained:

"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.

"I was 100 percent 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."

The first Test between India and England will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from January 25 to 29.