Kevin Pietersen urges Tom Banton to learn from Virat Kohli and not "waste his talent"

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has urged Tom Banton to learn from Team India skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, on how to build an innings at the top of the order in white-ball cricket. Banton has reached 30 just twice in seven innings, while opening the batting for Welsh Fire in The Hundred. Pietersen believes that the emerging cricketer is trying to smash too many sixes.

“How often do you see Kohli hitting sixes all over at the start of his innings”

“He needs to rework the way he goes about his batting. There is a big psychological change that needs to happen there,” said Pietersen after Banton was dismissed for 36 from 20 balls for Welsh Fire against Southern Brave on Wednesday night.

“He has all the talent but at the moment he is wasting it. Hits way too many balls in the air. He needs to learn to hit the ball along the ground, learn to hit extra-cover hard, mid-wicket hard. You have to look at the best players around the world. How often do they think, ‘let me just hit it in the air, my release shot is a six’? Virat Kohli, David Warner – look at all the players starring at the top of the innings. They hit extra-cover on the ground for four. How often do you see Kohli hitting sixes all over at the start of his innings,” he added.

“Banton needs to learn from the others and keep the ball on the ground”

Pietersen urged Banton to keep the ball on the ground and attempt to hit the ball in the gaps between fielders.

“Chris Gayle is a monster, has a bat that is as heavy as us and bombs it everywhere, so let’s park him. Banton needs to learn from the others and keep the ball on the ground, know there are gaps between fielders. [Going for sixes] is not the gaps he needs to go at.”

The former England cricketer termed the example of Brave captain James Vince, who smashed 53 from 39 balls against Banton’s Fire side.

“Vince didn’t carry on like ‘it’s a parade to see how many spectators we can clean out’. If the ball is there, you absolutely have the right to hit it. However, you have to earn that right. Vince earned that right with some of the defensive shots he played, some of the gaps he hits. He cuts the ball beautifully, pulls the ball along the ground, finds the gaps. That is how you build an innings. You don’t have respect if you just think you can bomb everyone.”

“Banton needs to ask himself what sort of player he wants to be”

“Rohit Sharma, for India or the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, is so calculated in the way he goes about his business. He can check drive, is immaculate with his pull shot and hits gaps like no one else in the world. He clips it through mid-wicket, bunts it down the ground. That where’s consistency comes. It’s about how you want to remembered as a player. Do you want to be remembered as a player that slogs a few and gets out for 20 or 30? Banton need to ask himself what sort of player he wants to be. He is better than this,” concluded Pietersen.