Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Bruce Dickinson,lead man of British heavy-metal band Iron Maiden,once called him a combination of Henry IV,V and VI. Just a day earlier,West Indian legend Vivian Richards had called him the Muhammad Ali of the cricketing world. Kevin Pietersen has always attracted such metaphors. Theres hardly a dull moment when the Englishman,once named The Ego by Shane Warne,steps onto the field.
Despite his indifferent and at times haughty demeanor,Yuvraj Singh invokes no less drama with whatever he does on the cricket field. And a tussle between the two,especially when Yuvraj is bowling to Pietersen,is always fascinating.
On Wednesday,after Pietersen had blazed away to 23 with three boundaries and one huge six off Suresh Raina,it seemed only a matter of time before Yuvraj would be brought on. And for the umpteenth time,it was the Indian who ended up with the last laugh.
The first ball Yuvraj sent down,Pietersen pushed away. To the second,he advanced down the wicket,but failed to get any elevation. All he managed was to hit it straight back to Yuvraj,who accepted the catch gleefully. While Pietersen walked away,Yuvraj stood triumphant as his teammates surrounded him. Skipper Suresh Raina later revealed,cheekily,that bringing Yuvraj on against Pietersen had been an intentional plot. He has had success against KP in the past. He was elated with the wicket, he said.
Raina also revealed that the duel between the two had ended in a happy truce,with Pietersen sharing a laugh with his conqueror.
