Kevin Pietersen relieved to end tour on a winning note

Kevin Pietersen, the hard-hitting English batsman, played through immense pain in the solitary Twenty20 match against India at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

Nonetheless, the player was rewarded for his pains as England triumphed over India in the match by six wickets, chasing a target of 121.

Pietersen was relieved to end India’s tour on a winning note, as the Poms were helpless against the Men in Blue in the One-Day Internationals (ODI), losing the series 5-0.

Expressing his delight over the victory, Pietersen said, “We go back with one-sixth of a smile on our faces. It's been a tough, tough trip and this is only the second game I've won in India in however many times I've come. It's good to end on a note like this but there's been some positives. We were just outplayed in the 50-over game.”

KP was doubtful for the Twenty20 match against India, as the charismatic batsman had broken his thumb before the fifth ODI. However, the 31-year-old decided to play and was glad that he made the right decision, as it was his innings of 53 runs that steered England to the finish line.

Pietersen felt honoured to be playing in India and acknowledged the hospitality of Indians fans off the field.

"My thumb's broken. But I wanted to stay and play because I'd never played at Eden Gardens. You grow up and you dream of playing cricket at certain grounds and I'm just happy that I stayed. It's very competitive on the field, it's hard on the field, but off it they treat us like champions and any cricketer who comes to India is very privileged,” said the overwhelmed Englishman.

Pietersen further stated that T20 is a completely different ball game from ODI’s and Tests. The 31-year-old holds true that as the game shortens, the batsmen become more free to play the way they want to, without worrying for wickets.

England have managed to retain their number one status in International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 rankings because of the win. Had the Poms lost at Eden Gardens they would have slipped to the third spot, behind Sri Lanka and New Zealand.