Kevin Pietersen returns to England fold with India tour selection Pietersen is at his best when he has a point to prove and England know the full worth of a batsman of his ability, particularly in the kind of conditions they have struggled to master for generations. With Ian Bell due to miss the second Test against India in Mumbai due to the birth of his first child, the England management will need all the experience they can muster against India. Bell's paternity leave was known when the squad was first selected and Pietersen was left out, but pragmatism on both sides appears to have calmed the situation. Pietersen needs England and England need him. He will slot into his old position at No 4, leaving Nick Compton and Joe Root, the two uncapped players in the squad, to fight for the opening role made vacant by the retirement of Andrew Strauss. Pietersen is one of only two batsmen in the squad to average more than 40 in Test cricket in India, but the decision was not based on statistics or past deeds with the bat. His relationship with England deteriorated steadily after his return from the Indian Premier League in May where he earned a big salary and adulation for his performances. It was strained by his surprise decision to retire from one-day cricket as he looked to negotiate a bigger window for playing in the IPL. But the problems peaked after the Headingley Test when he uttered the ill-advised line that it is "tough being me" in the England dressing room. When it emerged a few days later he had exchanged provocative messages about Andrew Strauss with the South African team, it set him on course for the international wilderness. The issue drained England at a time when their No 1 Test status was on the line as well as the defence of their World Twenty20 crown. Flower accepted he made a mistake and should have "nipped in the bud" the fake Twitter account parodying Pietersen, which the batsman believed was the work of England team-mates. Senior players will also have perhaps examined their own reactions over the past months and realised it was not a one-sided issue. Over the past couple of weeks relations have warmed, although the next big step is for Flower to maintain a working relationship with Pietersen until after the next World Cup in 2015, a staging post in the careers of both men. England leave for a short training camp in Dubai on Oct 25, arriving in India four days later, with their first warm-up match starting in Mumbai on Nov 3. The Champions League final is on Oct 28.