Kevin Pietersen has got really emotionally involved with the ongoing World Cup while being an analyst for Indian broadcasters Star Sports. Not only has he been expressing serious concerns about his former team, England's performances but has now waded into a debate raging about the Indian batting order.
With Vijay Shankar having not performed with the bat so far and also being not very useful with the ball, his place in the team is in serious danger. The man most likely to replace him in the XI is Rishabh Pant. But Pietersen is expressing a contrarian view which will surprise many people.
The former England captain took to Twitter for asking the Indian coach and captain to not dump Shankar. He also opined that Rishabh Pant is not yet ready to come into the team. "Dear Virat & Ravi – please don't drop Vijay Shankar. I think he's coming into his own and would potentially win you tomorrow's game. Don't think about Pant. He needs another 3 weeks prep before I think he can get into your World Cup side. Thanks, boys!" the legendary former right-hand batsman wrote on his timeline.
KP's views are totally understandable when one realizes that he is actually saying all this in a highly sarcastic vein. The implication of his tweet is that Shankar will continue to be ineffective while Pant is likely to be a dangerous player for England. It's worth remembering that Pietersen had declared England as the favourites to win the World Cup but on seeing them lose three matches, he has expressed concern about the side.
There was a huge sense of disappointment and even anger among Indian fans when Pant wasn't picked in India's original 15-man squad for the World Cup. However, the unfortunate injury to Shikhar Dhawan opened the door for him as he came in as a replacement. At the moment, his chances of playing the game against England look quite bright, despite KP's views.
