On the fourth day of the second India vs. England Test in Visakhapatnam, legendary England batsman Kevin Pietersen had a lighthearted conversation with former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan. Pietersen recounted his international career wicket totals, which included the storied India skipper MS Dhoni, during a lunchtime chat.
Remarkably, in the third Test match at the Oval in 2007, the off-spin bowler got rid of Dhoni. Pietersen joked, “You know who else I have in my pocket here? ” when recalling the incident during the live conversation. The legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The England hitter stated on JioCinema, “There he is, right next to Kamran Akmal.
Zaheer Khan chuckled, “You know I met Yuvraj Singh recently and he was talking about Kevin Pietersen being there,” as he listened to Pietersen’s assertions and instantly brought up his fights with Yuvraj Singh, who had helped him get out a few times. As I recall, he also gave Yuvraj a distinctive nickname.
Speaking ahead of time, Kevin Pietersen likened his competition with Yuvraj to that of Ben Stokes and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Indeed, he also used it as his email address for a while. That’s what happens when you play for so long; we’ve had some amazing and breathtaking confrontations on the field. Yuvraj caught me a few times (laughing). When their careers are over, it’s exactly what someone like Ashwin would do with Ben Stokes. This kind of humor will make them laugh,” he continued.
At the 2011 Lord’s, MS Dhoni nearly removed Pietersen.
Pietersen’s impressive 18-wicket haul over his international career (10 in Tests, 7 in ODIs, and 1 in T20Is) is noteworthy. When he was the previous captain of India’s maiden Test wicket back in the 2016 Indian Premier League, MS Dhoni notoriously made fun of him. But as he studied the LBW ruling during the 2011 Lord’s Test and lived, he has repeatedly refuted that allegation with evidence.
The evidence is CLEAR! I was NOT Dhoni’s first Test wicket.
Nice ball though, MS! 😂😂😂Thanks for sending this through, @SkyCricket 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/XFxJOZG4me
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) May 16, 2023
The third Test between India and England will take place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15. The Indian team for the next three Test matches has not yet been revealed; this is expected to happen on Wednesday, February 7.