It was quite a fascinating sight to watch a different Kevin Pietersen in the just concluded Patuadi Trophy. Brazen aggression was conspicuous by its absence as a mellowed Pietersen was on show throughout the series against India.

The prodigious swing ge-nerated by the Indian quicks might have played its part, though Pietersen is not the kind who bothers about conditions and reputation, as master leg-spinner Shane Warne will vouch.

The first indication of his ability to adapt came in England’s second innings at Lord’s. The hosts were in some trouble at 102 for three, but Pietersen took charge of the proceedings. The Indian bowlers all of a sudden loo-ked like schoolkids in front a punitive teacher.

His 134 that day bore no resemblance to his previous eight Test hundreds, when he waded into the opposition in cavalier fashion. Not that it was bereft of aggression, but unlike in the past, it was well controlled. The wild celebration after reaching the three-figure mark was as much due to bringing up of a milestone as in contributing to the team’s cause.

The second Test was a quiet one as Rudra Pratap Singh trapped him in front of the wicket in both innings, an extraordinary inswinger causing his downfall in the second innings.

Once India had scored a mammoth 664 in their first essay at The Oval, England needed someone to stand up and play a big innings to ensure a draw for them. Pietersen responded to the call, once again in a different fashion. He dug deep into his reserves, displaying almost monkish patience to resist all the Indian bowlers and his own natural aggressive streak.

His 10th Test hundred made sure England would not surrender the series 2-0 and salvage some pride.

Vaughan’s praise
England captain Michael Vaughan praised Pietersen for his mindset. "We had said we would try and show character, try and occupy the crease. If we'd got an unbelievable start, an amazing start, who knows… We had set our sights for a draw and Kevin's innings was tremendous in the circumstances. He showed a lot patience and helped us achieve that target."

His Indian counterpart Rahul Dravid too acknowledged the importance of Pietersen's century. "Kevin batted beautifully in a series that has been a difficult one for batting. He's easily among the top two or three batsmen in the world at the moment. He proved that in this series," Dravid said.

The only time Pietersen seemed to lose his temper was when he was engaged in a war of words with Anil Kumble.

The veteran leg-spinner thought the English batsman was deliberately blocking his way while attempting to stop a ball.

"Kumble is a fierce competitor on the field. I think I was watching the ball and got in his way. It was nothing serious," Pietersen said.

"Someone needed to bat for a long time and the wicket was also pretty flat. I was really happy about the innings. It is satisfying to see 10 hundreds against your name. I know it's still hard work for me as we will be visiting Sri Lanka and New Zealand, two places I haven't toured. 10 is a good number, but I want a lot more."