I always wanted to play like Kevin Pietersen: Finn Allen

Young New Zealand opener Finn Allen has revealed his admiration for former England batsman Kevin Pietersen. Allen recently received his maiden national team call-up for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

Finn Allen will also get a taste of the IPL this year, with Royal Challengers Bangalore bringing him in as a replacement for Josh Philippe. In a chat with ESPNCricinfo, the 21-year-old batsman talked about how Kevin Pietersen's dominant style of play influenced his batting.

"For me, Kevin Pietersen was always someone that I just loved to watch. I'm sure a lot of people are on the same boat, watching him take it to the opposition and how aggressive he was in his nature of play. That just really excited me, and I always thought I want to be like that," Finn Allen said.

The uncapped opener further added in this regard:

"Not necessarily look like him or play like him in that way, but just the same intent - the way he goes out there, puffs his chest out, and you know he's full of confidence and ready to sort of do damage. I suppose if I can mirror any form of that confidence and intent that he has, I'd absolutely love that."

Finn Allen replaces Josh Philippe for #IPL2021. We regret to inform that Josh Philippe has made himself unavailable for IPL 2021 due to personal reasons. As a result, we have picked an exciting top order batsman in Finn Allen.#PlayBold #Classof2021 pic.twitter.com/DaasJ58ngk

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 10, 2021

Finn Allen made waves in the recently-concluded Super Smash season - New Zealand's domestic T20 competition. The 21-year-old was the tournament's top scorer, amassing 512 runs in 11 innings at an average of 56.88, while his strike rate read a staggering 193.9. His exploits helped the Wellington Firebirds win the title.

Finn Allen talks about his batting philosophy

Finn Allen took the Dream11 @SuperSmashNZ by storm this season for @cricketwgtninc scoring 512 runs at a strike rate of 193.94! Find out how he feels about being selected in a BLACKCAPS squad for the first time after being named in the T20 squad to face Bangladesh. #NZvBAN pic.twitter.com/Xs3OroFePT

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 23, 2021

Although Finn Allen has played just 13 T20 matches in his career, he is already seen as a huge star in the shortest format. Speaking about his batting philosophy, the youngster said:

"I guess I would say initially it was about having a plan, For me, it's quite simple and then sticking to it. Along with that, I made it a key focus of mine to emphasise watching the ball as hard as I can until the bat and trying to hit the ball hard. Probably the simplicity of it all is what got me going, I guess."

With New Zealand resting some of their key players for the T20I series against Bangladesh, Finn Allen is expected to make his international debut in the first game on Sunday.

The first T20I against @BCBtigers is on Sunday at Hamilton's Seddon Park! The match is a double-header with the @WHITE_FERNS and @AusWomenCricket. Squad details | https://t.co/hpp0rlXrfx #NZvBAN pic.twitter.com/ZmwnjOuG5G

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 23, 2021