Bangalore hard work paid off: KP

The right-hander hadn’t had a great run in the last year or so, but since the IPL, where he won man of the match honours twice, the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batsman has regained his touch. “The hard work that I put in in Bangladesh and India… I mean there is no greater place to learn your batting,” said Pietersen.

After the Bangladesh series, Pietersen headed straight to India to take part in the IPL and was a crucial member of the RCB set-up.

“I spent hours and hours in Bangalore batting in the nets,” he pointed out. “I have had guys bowl at me for one and a half hours. And I worked as hard as I can because I was really disappointed with myself in the last 12 months. It’s difficult to say how well I am batting at the moment, but I am feeling good. And to contribute to this (win), there is no greater feeling,” he remarked.  

Pietersen acknowledged the help he received from skipper Paul Collingwood and other team-mates in rediscovering his form. “If it wasn’t for the boys in the dressing room, the coaching staff and the management group in Bangladesh, probably I wouldn’t have been here batting like the way I am doing. The nights and the dinners I had with Colly as well were reassuring as to how to play when you lose sight of how you need to play coming back from an injury.

“It’s difficult to believe the achievement and stuff. Player of the series is given to one player, but if it wasn’t for the team, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” he explained.

Collingwood, meanwhile, had a word of praise for the IPL. “The IPL is a real positive experience for everyone,” he said. “The things you learn from IPL are more than what you do sitting at home. One of the main things is the confidence you gain from the IPL. You get the confidence by just getting into the team because it is hard get in those teams. It’s obviously a world-class tournament.”