Kohli was destined for greatness, says Pietersen

At the height of his prowess, Kevin Pietersen was one of the most destructive batsman in world cricket. The sight of the flamboyant Englishman sending the bowlers on a leather hunt was a pleasing to the eye.

It was no wonder when the dashing right-hander was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping £1.1 million for the 2009 edition of Indian Premier League, which was then a record figure.

Pietersen also broke the taboo of Englishman not doing well in IPL as he reinvented his career as a Twenty20 franchise specialist.

Overall in the cash-rich T20 tournament, he made 36 appearances scoring 1001 runs at an average of over 35 and a strike-rate of 134.72.

KP, as he is fondly known among his peers had stints with other IPL clubs like Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiants. He also led RCB and DD for a while.

The former England captain has taken the time out to impart the knowledge he has gained from playing at the highest level and recalls his IPL stint with elan, especially his acquaintance with current Indian skipper Virat Kohli as well as Delhi dasher Virender Sehwag, with whom he forged a good chemistry.

"Sitting on the bus and also batting with Virat, I knew he was destined for greatness because of how he approached the game and the way he learnt and the questions he asked," Pietersen told cricket betting website about Kohli, who currently leads the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

'He was a chubby little fella back then and I still take the mickey out of him for it. But his determination to be the best player he could possibly be was evident. 'I remember I was winning a game for us against Rajasthan Royals and he ran me out. I gave him an absolute serve walking off the field. 'But you could see this was a youngster who was determined to get his team over the line," he added

Both Pietersen and Sehwag were similar in their style of batting as their 'no-holds-barred' attitude was a real nightmare for the bowlers all over the world and Pietersen was candid while applauding Sehwag's carefree attitude while wielding the willow

In the freewheeling interview with Betway Pietersen also throws light into the pressures involved while playing in a money-spinning tournament like the IPL, the challenge of leading club franchises as well as his disagreements with the English Cricket Board.