Cricketer-turned-commentator Kevin Pietersen and Zaheer Khan engaged in lighthearted banter during the lunch break on Day 4 of the second India vs England Test. The Rohit Sharma-led team staged a spectacular return into the series, squaring it in Vizag after trailing 1-0 in Hyderabad.
The two former cricketers exchanged pleasant banter, which included none other than the legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni. Everyone is aware that Pietersen was almost dismissed by Dhoni in 2011 before the decision was overturned but only a few are aware that four years prior, the former England skipper dismissed MSD for his second wicket in a Test match at The Oval.
During the talk with the Jiocinema experts, Kevin Pietersen was asked about his Test Cricket wickets, and he pointed to the prized wicket of MS Dhoni before Zaheer Khan reminded him about Yuvraj Singh dismissing him across the formats.
Kevin Pietersen: You know who else I’ve got in my pocket here? The great Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Right there, there he is next to Kamran Akmal.
Zaheer Khan: You know I met Yuvraj Singh recently and he was talking about Kevin Pietersen being there.
Kevin Pietersen: Yeah, I knew it. I knew you were going to say that.
MS Dhoni was on 92 runs when Pietersen slipped one through to remove the former Indian wicketkeeper. And he’ll definitely remember it for the rest of his life. Kevin Pietersen went on to reveal that Yuvraj Singh has defeated him a few times in international cricket and opened up about his memories of getting dismissed by the former Indian all-rounder.
Zaheer Khan was plainly referring to the number of times Yuvraj had dismissed Pietersen in the past it was when Pietersen faced Yuvraj, who dismissed him five times in ODIs.
Kevin Pietersen: Yuvraj got me a few times (with a laugh).
Zaheer Khan: I remember him (KP) giving him (Yuvraj) a special nickname as well.
Kevin Pietersen: Yeah, and he used it as his e-mail ID too for a while. We’ve had some great battles, some beautiful battles on the field and that’s what happens when you play for such a long time. The good thing is you can speak about it and have fun with it. It’s the same thing a guy like Ashwin would do with Ben Stokes when their careers are finished. They will be having a laugh, having a joke like this.
Kevin Pietersen was brilliant with the microphone during the first two Tests, but now that he has flown back home, and could return to India for the Indian Premier League in April and May.