T20 MM Pietersen supports the Indian team, says the players are not robots

Former England striker Kevin Pietersen supported the Indian cricket team under fire on Monday, saying the players are not robots and need fan support all the time.

India lost to the T20 World Championships as a strong title challenger and lost their tournament opening match at 10 gates to Pakistan, followed by an eight-point loss from New Zealand.

India is now fifth in the Group 2 leaderboard and its progress in the tournament depends on other teams.

The team’s unexpected inferior show has sparked sharp criticism from its passionate supporters.

However, Pietersen, who represented England in 104 tests and 136 in ODI, rose to India’s defense.

“In sports, one wins and the other loses. No one has to lose. Representing the country is the greatest honor. Understand that athletes are not robots and they need support all the time,” Pietersen tweeted in Hindi.

The former players questioned the choice of strokes as well as the sudden change in stroke order as Rohit Sharma came to hit number three instead of opening the innings.

Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also supported the team.

“Let’s not be harsh on our players. Yes, we know them from better cricket. Sabse jyada players experienced hurting the hota shark after such results (players hurt the most after the loss). But good thanks to @BLACKCAPS NZ for winning the match. They were fantastic in all departments,” Harbhajan has tweeted.