ENG vs IND 2018: Kevin Pietersen Keeps Personal Rivalry Aside, Lauds Alastair Cook For Century In Farewell Test

Kevin Pietersen, on Monday, paid a fitting tribute to Alastair Cook as the latter bid farewell to international cricket by slamming a brilliant ton in the fifth Test against India.

Twelve years ago, Alastair Cook had made his marked his arrival by scoring a fifty and an unbeaten century against India in Nagpur. Fast forward in 2018, the southpaw bid adieu to the game in the same fashion and against the same opposition. After scoring 71 in the first innings, he scored 147 in the second to bring an end to his glittering 12-year old career.

It took him just two deliveries to reach the half-century on Monday morning. He also went above Kumar Sangakkara in the all-time leading scorers in Tests after crossing the 76-run mark.

Cook, who is also now the highest-scoring left-handed batsman in Test history, then made his 33rd Test hundred and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He was eventually dismissed for 147 by Hanuma Vihari. Cook is departing as England’s leading run-scorer and centurion in Tests.

LOOK WHAT IT MEANS TO THEM! ???‍?

Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/lhJg8BsQZh#ThankYouChef #EngvInd pic.twitter.com/bQusQnTq7Z

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 10, 2018

Cook is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid in the all-time list of run scorers.

And ever since he crossed the 100-run mark, the cricketing world has showered him with accolades and Kevin Pietersen also joined the bandwagon. Keeping aside his differences with Cook, Pietersen took to Twitter to laud the southpaw, writing:

“Bloody hell! Cook 100! Script written! Fairytale ending! Richly deserved having had to face a brand new Duke’s ball for 12yrs! BRAVO ??”

Bloody hell! Cook 100!

Script written!

Fairytale ending!

Richly deserved having had to face a brand new Duke’s ball for 12yrs!

BRAVO ??

— Kevin Pietersen? (@KP24) September 10, 2018

Pietersen and Cook, meanwhile, do not share the best of relationships. The duo fell out after Pietersen was sacked following the 5-0 Ashes thrashing in 2013-14. In a recent interview, Cook said, he has not talked to Pietersen since his sacking.

“It was the toughest time of my career and there’s no doubt it affected my batting.

“The day Andrew Strauss came out and said Kevin wasn’t going to play for us any more, that was a massive weight off my shoulders,” he told BBC.

“I was involved in the decision at first but the England captain doesn’t have the final say on hiring and firing.

I agreed with it but said, ‘Why don’t we give him some time off, we can go away and maybe KP can come back later on’. I haven’t spoken to him since that day but time is a great healer,” he added.