ENG vs IND 2025: ‘Batting today is way easier than 20-25 years ago’ – Kevin Pietersen after Joe Root’s Manchester ton | CricTracker

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has said that batting in modern-day cricket appears significantly easier than it was 25 years ago. His comments come in the context of the ongoing England-India Test series.

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has witnessed multiple high-scoring games, particularly in the first two matches. In the opening Test, England successfully chased down a target of 371 on the fifth day, one of the highest run chases in Test history. The second Test saw India set a mammoth target of 608 runs, with captain Shubman Gill amassing a record 430 runs across both innings.

Pietersen pointed out the impact of England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach, which has seen them score runs at a rapid pace. He listed around 20 legendary bowlers from the past, such as Wasim Akram, Chaminda Vaas, Glenn McGrath, and Harbhajan Singh, and claimed that facing bowlers of that calibre made batting far more challenging. He further questioned the current generation’s bowling depth, challenging fans to name ten modern-day bowlers who could compare to those greats of the past.

“Don’t shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then! Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali, Curtley, Courtney and the list could go on and on… I’ve named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers that can compare to the names above?,” Pietersen said on X.

Speaking about the Manchester Test, England amassed a 186-run lead by the end of Day 3 The innings was set up by a strong start from openers Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (71), followed by a commanding 150 from Joe Root, who also became the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history during his knock. In response to India’s first-innings total of 358, England posted 544 for 7 by stumps on Day 3.

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