Pietersen had sleepless nights when his "blood ran cold" after Mumbai terror strikes
30 Nov 2008, 1517 Hrs

Add comment          Mail          Print          Write to Editor

London, Nov 30 England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen has revealed he spent sleepless nights immediately after the Mumbai terror strikes that last more than three days, saying that the thought of being a terrorist target made his "blood run cold".

Just two days ahead of November 26 terror strikes, the England team had stayed at the same Hotel Taj which was under siege for nearly 60 hours with a number of foreigners and Indian nationals taken hostage by a handful of terrorists.

According to The Telegraph, Pietersen said he was still shaking after learning of the attacks and when he discovered English tourists were being targeted it sent a shiver down his spine.

Pietersen, along with the rest of the England team, returned home tonight after cutting short the one-day series against India in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai which have left 195 people dead, including one Briton.

In an article published in the News of the World, Pietersen said: "I'm still shaking from the terrorist atrocities in Mumbai. Every time I see the TV footage of the carnage in the Indian city, I realise how close we were to death. I haven't slept thinking about the three-day rampage and siege. We were 800 miles from the attack, but suddenly we felt very vulnerable, especially as we had stayed at the targeted Taj Mahal Hotel just two weeks ago."

Pietersen said he feared the England team - and their captain - would be a target. "It makes my blood run cold," he added.

But, the England skipper said if the go-ahead was given by security experts to return for the Test series, he would return. The second Test, which was to be held in Mumbai, has been moved to Chennai. The first Test is scheduled to start on December 11 in Ahmedabad. (ANI)