Zaheer Khan and Kevin Pietersen engaged in a hilarious banter on the fourth day of the second Test between India and England which the hosts won by 106 runs. Both former cricketers, who were on the commentary duty in Vizag, were reminiscing about their playing days. Pietersen was the one who initiated the repartee, which later seemed more like an off-field sledging battle.
It all started after the duo was asked about their Test wickets. Pietersen, who is known for his batting prowess, recalled a rare instance of dismissing former Indian captain MS Dhoni during a Test match at the Oval in 2007.
Dhoni needed only eight runs to complete his century when Pietersen castled him with a stunning delivery. Bragging about the success, the Englishman told Zaheer, “You know who else I’ve got in my pocket here? The great Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Right there, he is next to Kamran Akmal.”
Zaheer was ready with a befitting reply as he reminded Pietersen of his struggle against Yuvraj Singh in ODIs. The former India all-rounder got the better of Pietersen with his mystic spin five times in the 50-over format.
Going by the stats, Zaheer countered, “You know I met Yuvraj Singh recently and he was talking about Kevin Pietersen being there.” The Indian legend further revealed that it led Pietersen to give Yuvraj a unique nickname – “pie chucker”.
In response, the former England captain said, “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.”
Team India will head to the third Test high on confidence after registering a dominant victory in the Vizag fixture. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah deserves special credit for the 106-run win. He picked nine wickets in the match including a six-wicket haul in England’s first innings. The visitors will be keen to bounce back in the third Test, beginning on February 15 in Rajkot.
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