Kevin Pietersen

London: The ease with which Yuvraj Singh dismantled the English attack mesmerised not just Indian fans but also the British media, which declared that Friday’s humiliating loss spelt the end for Kevin Pietersen’s honeymoon period as skipper.

“India batter England into submission,” read a headline in the Daily Mail after England lost the first ODI of the seven-match series by a massive 158 runs.

Yuvraj was battling a back pain and played with a runner for most part of his blazing 138-run knock. The Daily Mail, a widely-circulated tabloid here, wondered what the left-hander might have done had he been in full fitness.

“England were taken apart by a brilliant performance from a batsman who was supposed to be struggling with injury.”

The Daily Telegraph said the defeat was a painful wake-up call for new skipper Pietersen, who was having a successful time until now with an impressive ODI series win over South Africa.

“Kevin Pietersen could do no wrong when he led England to victory in his first five matches as official captain.

“But he has been given a painful reminder of how tough life can be in the highest office after a chastening few weeks which have seen the Stanford debacle followed by the most difficult start to this most demanding of tours,” it said.

The newspaper lauded Yuvraj’s performance and said he resembled Gary Sobers in his shot selection. “All he seemed to do, to create shots possessed of the grace of Garry Sobers, the power of Clive Lloyd and flair of Brian Lara, was to wave his bat somewhere in the vicinity of the ball.” the daily quipped.

However, the British media also raised questions about Yuvraj Singh’s intentions after he used a runner owing to a back injury in Friday’s one-dayer.

“He (Yuvraj) did not seem overly indisposed as he made 138 from 78 balls, with 16 fours and six sixes, reaching the eighth fastest ODI hundred (64 balls) along the way,” The Guardian said in its match report.

The Independent, however, rubbished the criticism.

“Much will be made of Yuvraj’s back injury and his use of a runner for the majority of his innings... Some will feel it was a calculated decision so that he remained fresh. It is hard to believe. A runner normally causes huge mix-ups that often result in a run-out, and Yuvraj would not have wanted to be dismissed through no fault of his own,” it said.