Former England batter Kevin Pietersen stated India runs the world of cricket and anyone thinking otherwise would have to be an idiot when asked about IPL teams investing in English county sides.
Pietersen felt India’s dominance was eventually good for the global and English game.
“Listen, at the end of the day you have to be an absolute idiot if you don’t think that India runs the world of cricket. India runs the world of cricket and anyone arguing against it clearly is deluded. So actually when you see what India is doing for world cricket, the amount of cash that is being injected into the English cricket game in the last couple of weeks. It’s amazing for world cricket and English cricket. I know the guys at the ECB and some of my buddies are the ones who took the Lord’s. The amount of money they spent on the Lord’s its ridiculous that they may never have thought about this money in their wildest imagination,” he added, on the sidelines of an event.
The former England all-rounder revealed that county teams are struggling and the cash infusion from Indian investors was a great sign.
“There are a lot of counties that are struggling. So now with this cash injection with Indian investment its amazing. I was just in SA20 last week. All of the stadiums are full, ownership is all IPL teams, everyone is happy, the quality of cricket is spectacular,” Pietersen added.
Pietersen also reminisced about how far his perception of India has transformed from when he initially came in 2003-2004 and now.
“Coming to India then (2003-2004) and coming to India now in 2024-25 is the most remarkable change. In 2003-04, it was like Oh no, we got to go to India and now it’s like when can I go to India. I brought my kids for the first time to India in October last year and we had the most unbelievable holiday. We holidayed here in Mumbai and then we went upto Rajasthan for few days and then we went to find tigers in Ranthambore. So now they are like when are we coming back,” he added.
Elaborating further, he spoke about how his developed a deep bond with India that goes beyond just cricket.
“They even want to come with me to the IPL this year. So with that being said I’ve got a tremendous relationship with India. I’ve got a great relationship because I was very competitive on the field and my cricket and hopefully what I did on the field is very respected. I’ve always respected India for the love that I’ve had since I came to this great country to score runs here. The Indian public is not stupid. They can be nice for a certain period but if you are rubbish, you are a goner. I’ve got a good friendship base in India, so I can go to a lot of cities and get a lot of home meals. That is what is really important. Friendship goes to a deeper level.
