Kevin Pietersen advises debutante Nandre Burger of South Africa to smile less.

Day 1 of the first Test at SuperSport Park, Centurion, saw South Africa win handily, with India falling behind at 208/8. With the ball, speedster Kagiso Rabada shone for the home team, taking his 14th career five-wicket haul. Aside from him, Nandre Burger, who was making his debut, also had a successful day, finishing with figures of 2/50 in 15 overs.

To take his maiden wicket in a Test match, the left-arm seamer removed Yashasvi Jaiswal (17 off 37) in the opening session. In the very next over, he extracted his second wicket by dismissing Shubman Gill again, strangling him down the leg side. Nandre Burger received further recognition for his pace after the play of the day from former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen.

The 43-year-old, however, advised him to be aggressive rather than smiling a lot at the batter because it will make them feel more at ease when batting.

“I enjoy Nandre Burger.” I really enjoy his speed. The only thing that would make me any happier would be if he were less kind and more hostile! Batters always get a little victory when they smile at them. Pietersen posted on his X account, “Bowl fast, really fast, and DO NOT smile after most deliveries!”

I like Nandre Burger. I like his pace a lot. The only thing I’d like even more, is if he didn’t smile as much and got more aggressive!
Smiling at batters gives them a small win every single time.
Bowl fast, seriously fast and DO NOT smile after most deliveries!

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 26, 2023

Kevin Pietersen recalls his conflicts with Johnson

Pietersen said in a subsequent tweet that Mitchell Johnson, a former fast bowler for Australia, rarely smiled after a delivery. In particular, Pietersen and Johnson engaged in a fierce duel during the 2013–14 Ashes series in Australia. The Australian pacer took 37 wickets in ten innings during the series, causing the English camp to have nightmares with his aggressive fast bowling.

He didn’t smile after most deliveries! pic.twitter.com/nN907dvyFr

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 26, 2023

Burger, in the meantime, has dazzled cricket commentators across the globe with outstanding exploits during his brief career. He has a career T20 average of 21.42 and an economy of 7.40. The Rajasthan Royals recently acquired the 28-year-old for his starting price of INR 50 lakh at the IPL 2024 auction.