A crowd consists of two types of people. The majority are the normal people, the ordinary ones, who maintain a low-profile and stick to there own business. Then there are the extraordinary ones, who are few in number and stand out. These are the people with impact, the ones remembered long after their time is up.
Kevin Pietersen is one of them. He has always stood out from the crowd, and has always been in the news for something or the other. It would be fair to assume, that he enjoys the attention and his encounters with the paparazzi have become a part of his daily routine. He has become used to this, and greeds for limelight, not letting go of any such opportunity.
His flamboyant personality and larger than life attitude has attracted fans from all over the world and is a big part of the reason he has such a strong fan-base. At the same time, it may also be a part of the reason why people don’t like him. For characters like him are talked about by many, but liked by a few. The ones who like them though, practically love them!
His batting style reflects his personality. It is courageous, different and full of class. His every stroke personifies boldness, and with every move, both on and off the field, he makes his presence felt. He has also received an MBE- Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on 31st December 2005.
He is an entertainer and a game-changer in the truest sense of the words. Time and again, he has surprised us, with something crazy. A lot of people remember the switch-hit, but not many remember the ‘dead skunk’ hairstyle, when he walked onto the field in the 2005 Ashes series with a peroxide blonde streak in the center of his head!
However, things haven’t always been bright for KP. He too, has had his fair share of struggles.
Good, bad, and sometimes even ugly, Pietersen and controversy have always gone hand in hand. It is hence not surprising to see that the release of his new book, “KP: The Autobiography” is also surrounded by it.
Thus, Alastair Cook’s comment was nothing out of the blue. The English captain said that Pietersen had “tarnished” one of the most successful eras for the national team by saying some of the things he did.
In his book, Pietersen talked about many of his teammates and former coaches. A few of his revelations are:
On former coach Andy Flower: “He built a regime, he didn’t build a team. I’ve told him this before. I told him during his coaching reign.
On senior players such as James Anderson and Stuart Broad: “The bowlers were given so much power. But these guys ran the dressing room.”
He expressed his views bluntly and people didn’t react well. Pietersen should realize that he is a role model for many people, and when you are a famous public figure, you have certain responsibilities and need to conduct yourself in a certain way.
Through his career, his relationship with senior players has been like that of oil and water: they just don’t mix. Pietersen should realize that he is a role model for many people, and when you are a famous public figure, you have certain responsibilities and need to conduct yourself in a certain way.
But let’s put aside all the controversies, (like we have always done with Pietersen) and discuss some excerpts from the book.
Here are some interesting revelations:
- The impressive switch-hit was an idea inspired from hockey. In his book, he reveals that this trade-mark shot of his is straight from his childhood, when he used to play hockey and courtyard cricket.
- He is quite a nervous person. Even though he is an international player, admired by fellow cricketers and fans alike, he gets the butterflies before a match!
- He is a self-doubting person. This one is quite shocking for a person like him, who carries himself with such class, confidence and swag! He says that over the years, he has mentally fought with himself a lot.
- Insight for a parody twitter account of him. On learning about this, he said “I got told by a senior player that the account was being run from inside our dressing room. I was completely broken, absolutely finished, mentally shot.”
- The ECB three lions tattoo might not have been the best idea. He has a tattoo with his test cap number and the logo of the ECB on his left arm. Although, South African born, he has always said he loves playing cricket for England, and so this regret about the tattoo is pretty shocking!
- His feelings towards his teammates, coaches and England cricket in general. These remarks hold the roots for all the controversies!
His first book, “Crossing the Boundary” was a great read, especially for anyone who loves sports. It was a good mix of struggle and inspiration. Very rarely can people describe their feelings after or during an experience, but he did that flawlessly. He talked about his journey right from the start to where he had reached.
Like they have always had from his cricket, fans have huge expectations from his new book as well. Let’s hope it beats all of them!
