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Rediff.com  » Sports » Pietersen fumes over leg before decision

Pietersen fumes over leg before decision

By Amlan Chakraborty
December 21, 2008 21:19 IST
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England captain Kevin Pietersen on Sunday expressed disappointment over the leg before decision that ended his epic 144-run knock, insisting he played it down the leg side and still got out.

Coming out to bat when his side was struggling at one for two, Pietersen lead from the front, first adding 131 runs with Alastair Cook (50) and then raising 149 with Andrew Flintoff (62) before Harbhajan Singh trapped leg before in the penultimate over of the day.

Far from being happy with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf's decision, a dejected Pietersen said, "It was frustrating to lose wickets at the end of the day, to lose myself and Freddie was very, very frustrating. My decision could have gone my way."

Asked if felt so because he had nicked it, Pietersen said, "I didn't hit it, I played down the line of leg-stump and could have been given the benefit of the doubt. But you win some, you lose some and I'm out."

The England captain said leveling the series was now virtually impossible and he would be happy to manage a draw in Mohali.

"I am afraid we are out of the Test. It's difficult to win the game, if we could have batted a session into the game we could have forced ourselves into the game. Now will be happy to get a draw out of the game," said the England captain, whose side trails the two-match series 0-1.

On his scintillating knock, the South Africa-born player said, "I love batting, batting is what I am born to do. Batting in India is special because of the fantastic crowds and knowledgeable people here. To come back after what has happened and score runs here is really special."

Asked about his comments on reports that England would host some of the Indian Premier League matches, Pietersen shot back, "I don't read the papers, haven't read about IPL, it would be nice to play IPL for 12 months a year!

"I'm playing Test cricket here, not my place to talk about Twenty20 cricket in the middle of a Test. I have a Test to concentrate on," he added.

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Amlan Chakraborty
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