Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli showed a heartwarming gesture by presenting a signed India jersey to former England skipper Kevin Pietersen’s son, Dylan. Pietersen uploaded the heartfelt moment on Instagram, posting a photo of Dylan wearing the jersey with pride. Grateful, Pietersen also added in his post how well the jersey fit his son, which was a light-hearted addition to the otherwise heartfelt moment.
Kevin Pietersen was in India as a part of the England ODI commentary panel for England’s series against the hosts and witnessed Rohit Sharma’s team win a 3-0 whitewash. During the first match on February 6 in Nagpur, Pietersen and Kohli were seen having a chat after the game, recollecting old struggles with much humour. But Kohli sat out that game with a knee injury, and that allowed Shreyas Iyer to cement his place in the XI with steady performances.
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Virat Kohli returned for the second ODI in Cuttack, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a difficult debut. Enjoying the moment with his son, Pietersen posted, “Came home and presented @dylanpietersenphotography with a gift from @virat.kohli, and it goes straight on! Fitted like a glove. Cheers, mate!”
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While Kohli’s return wasn’t ideal—he managed only five runs in Cuttack—he found his rhythm in the third ODI in Ahmedabad, scoring a well-crafted half-century before being dismissed by Adil Rashid. His return to form bodes well for India ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy.
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At the same time, Kevin Pietersen’s commentary work made headlines for something other than cricketing analysis. He was hard on England’s preparation for the series, berating the team for spending time on the golf course instead of practising. This drew a heated debate, with England captain Jos Buttler and head coach Brendon McCullum denying the allegations, affirming that the team had prepared adequately even though the results spoke otherwise.
With the Champions Trophy to get underway on February 19, India enters the tournament with confidence, while England will have to regroup and work on their weaknesses to become a serious challenger.
