Kevin Pietersen open to playing for South Africa

'The eligibility for South Africa is still (over) a year away. So we will have to wait and see.'

After being repeatedly ignored by England, controversial cricketer Kevin Pietersen is now looking towards his 'country of birth'- South Africa, to make a return to international cricket.

The former England captain admitted he is eyeing a return with South Africa, a country where he was born and raised.

The 35-year old however also pointed out that there's more than a year to go before such a possibility can even arise.

Pietersen, who will be 37-year-old by the time he becomes eligible to play for South Africa, said he is in a great frame of mind and trains hard to remain fit.

"The eligibility for South Africa is still (over) a year away. So we will have to wait and see, but it is definitely still an option," he said. "I am in a great frame of mind now. I enjoy myself and don't take life too seriously.

"Do I miss playing international cricket? Do I miss batting in international cricket? Yes I do very much so you never know.

"I still train hard and love batting, I love practicing my batting, I love the art of batting. It may not guarantee me getting runs, but it gives me a good chance to get runs. I am very lucky that I have played international cricket for 10 years and over 100 Test matches," he said.

England axed Pietersen from their squad after the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash in Australia.

He is currently playing in the Indian Premier League for the Rising Pune Supergiants. He scored an unbeaten 21 of 14 balls to help his team win the opening match of IPL 9 against the defending champions Mumbai Indians.