Keegan Petersen reminds me of Gundappa Vishwanath: Ravi Shastri

Former India coach Ravi Shastri hailed
emerging South African cricketer Keegan Petersen as “a great world player in
the making” and found the shadow of former India batter and his childhood hero
Gundappa Vishwanath in the right-hander. Petersen finished the Test series against India as the
leading run-scorer with 276 in six innings, providing South Africa with some
solidity in the number three position that had been missing for some time.

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Petersen proved to be a crucial member of
the South African team that defeated India 2-1 in the just-concluded Test
series. The batter scored twin fifties in the third Test in Cape Town and was
adjudged the Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series.

“Keegan Peterson (KP). Excellent
initials (@KP24). A great world player in the making. My childhood hero
Gundappa Vishwanath comes to mind #SAvIND,” Shastri tweeted.

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Regarded as one of the best batters during
his era, the right-handed Viswanath, who played 91 Tests and 25 ODIs for India,
possessed supple wrists which he used to great effect in playing square cuts.
The 28-year-old Petersen is also equally wristy.

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Shastri also said ‘KP’ was a great initial,
referring to the former England skipper Kevin Pietersen, one of the most
captivating batters.

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South Africa were well beaten by 113 runs
in the first Test in Pretoria, but bounced back, against expectations by their
young side, to win in both Johannesburg and Cape Town against the number one
ranked team in the world.

South Africa, who won their previous series
in West Indies in June, will next play Test cricket when they tour New Zealand
for two matches next month.

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Another former India cricketer Gautam
Gambhir, too, heaped praise on Petersen. “He definitely looks like a
future star for South Africa. The Proteas lost De Kock but Petersen’s form and
contributions have been impressive in their series win. For me, he was the
standout player for the hosts. I think a player’s form is more important than
his reputation. In international sport, ultimately it’s all about form. If your
form is good, you can tackle any batting unit,” said Gambhir on Star
Sports.