"He knocked me for a monster six; I held the next one back" - Kevin Pietersen recalls how he dismissed MS Dhoni at The Oval

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has termed his dismissal of MS Dhoni during The Oval Test of 2007 as one of his fondest memories at the venue.

The fourth Test of the ongoing India-England series with be played at The Oval from September 2. The five-match series is locked at 1-1.

On Tuesday, Kevin Pietersen shared a video on Twitter in which he is seen visiting The Oval and recalling his fond memories at one of England’s most renowned cricket stadiums. Speaking about how he outfoxed Dhoni, Pietersen revealed:

“Alastair Cook was under a high ball (at deep square leg). And guess who the batter was? Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He’d knocked me for a monster six. Almost went out of the ground into the Thames, gone. I held the next one back. (Pointing to his pocket) MS, I am afraid to say, you’re in there, I am not in your pocket.”

Dhoni was batting on a brilliant 92. However, he perished to part-time spinner Pietersen, trying to hit the bowler out of the park. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter’s knock came off only 81 balls and featured nine fours and four sixes.

Pietersen also shone with the bat, scoring a hundred in the second innings as the high-scoring encounter ended in a draw. India won the series 1-0, and it remains the last instance of India beating England in England.

I was lucky enough to get that 158: Kevin Pietersen on his memorable ton at The Oval

It was at The Oval that Pietersen scored a brilliant 158 in the fifth Test of the iconic 2005 Ashes. The draw at The Oval saw England lift the urn for the first time in 18 years.

Looking back at his fond memories of the place, Pietersen said:

“When you get the opportunity to come to The Oval, it means so much to you. There’s not too many grounds where you actually walk straight through the fans, where the fans can touch you. In the Ashes in 2005, I came down here and I was in panic. I had absolutely no time at all to think about batting. McGrath was bowling, I was lucky enough to get that 158."

“Michael Vaughan lifted the urn for England for the first time in 18 years. When I came back up the stairs after that 158, it was absolute chaos. To just be swamped as players by the fans, you want to experience it,” Pietersen added.

The former England captain described The Oval as a ground on which dreams have been created. He elaborated:

“It was here that I was celebrating my first-ever Ashes Test match hundred. We then went to No. 1 in the world having beaten India 4-0 (2011). We got the mace and we did the celebrations around the ground.”

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I actually can’t believe things happened the way they happened. There are so many fond memories that I wish could happen again,” Pietersen concluded.

Loads of my career highlights came at The Kia Oval. I loved going back with @betway to chat beating India 4-0, getting @msdhoni out, the 2005 Ashes and more… 🤣🥳🙏🏽 https://t.co/56t48cDpfg

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) August 31, 2021

The South African-born former cricketer is regarded as one of the finest batters to have played for England. He scored 8181 runs in 104 Tests at an average of 47.29.