Pietersen is looking to have an advantage when England play India later in the year by getting used to the conditions of the sub-continent

England’s South African-born batsman, Kevin Pietersen, has defended his decision to play for the Delhi Daredevils in this year’s edition of the IPL, because he feels that it will enable him to get better accustomed with the conditions of the sub-continent.

Pietersen, who has just come off a tough tour of Sri Lanka, in which the Test series ended as a 1-1 draw, will be heading straight for India, along with Daredevil’s teammate and Vice-Captain, Mahela Jayawardene, while his the rest of the England squad have a break in their cricketing schedules.

“I can just spend hours in the nets – I see it as an opportunity to just improve my playing of spin bowling and improving my technique,” he said.

Pietersen, also stated that he would like to get as comfortable with the conditions as possible, since he and the rest of the England squad, will be touring India, later in the year.

After the IPL, Pietersen is scheduled to report back to the England team, who will be hosting the West Indies next month.

Pietersen, has been on two tours with the England squad so far this year, firstly when they went to the United Arab Emirates to play Pakistan, and most recently going to Sri Lanka to take on the national squad there.

Despite having a rather busy timetable, Pietersen, is still looking forward to using the IPL as an opportunity to further enhance his skills and technique.

“The great thing about the IPL is we go there and today, tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday… I can just spend hours in the nets, I think it’s a massive bonus, I’m very lucky,” he said.