Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has recently recalled his rivalry with ex-India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. The classic banter between the two veterans goes back to 2008 when England toured India under the leadership of Pietersen, and the English skipper had labelled Yuvraj a ‘pie-chucker’.
The war of words continued between both players in the coming years, as Yuvraj took a subtle dig at the Englishman in the next year’s T20 World Cup in England. During that time, Yuvi had said he would deliver pies to Pietersen as he always gets him out.
Now, over 13 years later, Pietersen has shared his thoughts on the ‘pie-chucker’ and revealed the real reason behind the comment. The 41-year-old said that Yuvraj being a left-armer always puzzled him and got him out a few times. Pietersen mentioned that in order to put some mental pressure on Yuvraj, he came up with an unusual comment.
“Playing against Yuvraj Singh was always an issue. Left-arm spin was always an issue. But when Yuvraj came on, I thought this is the opportunity to score. Then he started knocking me over. Then I started to get a bit frustrated, but my favourite shot against Yuvraj was the forward defensive block. That defensive shot, you can get past this pie-chucker,” said Pietersen in a video for the Legends League Cricket.
“I called Yuvraj a pie-chucker purely based on the fact that he knocked me over a couple of times, and I didn’t want to tell the rest of the world that he was any good. It was that rubbish provider you play with. You think I am bigger than the other player and try and force yourself on the opposition, and he comes back at you,” he added.