Kevin Pietersen's top 3 knocks vs India in Tests

If there was ever an example of a maverick swashbuckler who was ahead of their time in English cricket, it was Kevin Pietersen. The right-handed batter was destined for greatness ever since he made his ODI debut in 2004 and his Test debut in that famous Ashes series in 2005.

Controversy went hand-in-hand with his career, but there is no denying that Pietersen was one of the ultimate crowd-pullers. He was cut from a different cloth in an England batting lineup largely built for Test cricket as he went on to dominate bowling attacks across formats.

Pietersen also took a liking to India in particular, amassing 1581 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 58.55 while scoring six hundreds along the way. That he managed to bring his best forward even in spin-friendly conditions in the subcontinent was further testament to his quality.

As the former England international turns 43 today (June 27), let's revisit his three best knocks against India in Tests.

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#3 101 at The Oval, 2007

Pietersen's outstanding hundred helped England save the Oval Test in 2007.

With India entering the third Test at The Oval in 2007 with a 1-0 lead under their belt, England had to win in order to square the series and retain the Pataudi Trophy. Things went kaput the moment they lost the toss and Rahul Dravid opted to bat first on a placid track, as a collective batting effort led by Anil Kumble's maiden ton powered India to 664.

England put in a decent show of their own but could only manage to score 345. Dravid, much to the surprise of many, chose not to enforce the follow-on before declaring on 180/6 as England had a round 500 to chase. The win was out of the equation but they were in trouble on 86/2 on the final day.

In walked Pietersen, who scored 41 in the first essay by approaching it like he would approach any innings. A positive tempo followed as he kept India's bowlers at bay to stitch fruitful partnerships with skipper Michael Vaughan first and then Paul Collingwood.

Pietersen notched up a sublime century, and by the time he was dismissed by S. Sreesanth for 101 off 159 deliveries, the hosts had 21 more overs to survive with five wickets in hand. They lost just one more wicket before Matt Prior and Ryan Sidebottom saw off the day.

But it was Pietersen's stellar knock that ensured that England didn't lose the match, even as they couldn't avoid a series defeat.

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#2 202* at Lord's, 2011

Test cricket's 2000th contest pit England and India up against each other at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in 2011. The visitors arrived as the world's top-ranked side but were in for a rude shock as England handed them a 4-0 drubbing to dethrone them from atop the ICC Rankings.

And it all started in the very first Test, with Pietersen butchering the bowlers all around the park. Zaheer Khan removed the openers on the first day, but once he limped off the field and was done for the series, it just came apart alarmingly for India.

Pietersen duly cashed in and dished out a clinic on Day 2, after he finished a rain-curtailed opening day on 22. Such were India's woes in Zaheer's absence that skipper MS Dhoni was forced to roll his arm over for a bit. Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma were lackadaisical, and Pietersen carted a blistering unbeaten 202 off just 326 deliveries before England declared on 474/8.

India fought hard to try and save the Test on the last day but failed to do so, marking the beginning of a rather dismal tour.

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#1 186 in Mumbai, 2012

It wouldn't be wrong to rate this as Pietersen's best-ever knock in Tests even though he happened to register three higher scores in the format. Such was the quality of his counter-attack at the Wankhede Stadium in 2012 that it is widely regarded one of the best displays by a batter against spin in India.

England conceded the series lead in Ahmedabad and were dished out a turner in the second Test in Mumbai. Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann wreaked havoc on the opening day before Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin rescued the hosts and saw them post 327.

Combining forces with skipper Alastair Cook, Pietersen launched a counter-attack that had the Indian bowling unit - comprising three spinners and a solitary seamer - clutching at straws. He swept, lofted, launched and slog-swept them at will in what was a truly masterful display of countering spin in the sub-continent.

Pietersen moved the Test England's way on the third day before being caught behind off Pragyan Ojha's bowling for 186 off 233 deliveries - a strike rate of 79.82.

Panesar and Swann took over again in the second innings as England drew level before going on to clinch a historic series win. It was the second time in as many series that India couldn't recover from a Pietersen masterclass.

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Is Kevin Pietersen England's greatest ever batter in Tests? Have your say in the comments section below!

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