'Time To Fly': Kevin Pietersen Leaves For England Following His Participation In Raisina Dialogue

Former cricketer Kevil Pietersen, on Friday, flew back to England after spending two memorable days in India. He shared a photo of himself on Instagram before boarding the flight from the Delhi Airpot.

Along with the photograph, Pietersen penned a heartfelt note in Hindi, in which the cricketer expressed his immense love for the country and thanked everyone for their warm hospitality.

The legendary cricketer wrote, “Time to fly. Thank you India for giving me 24 mind-blowing hours. I have listened to and learnt so much. I cannot wait to be back in your promised land soon. I love you.”

Pietersen arrived in the national capital on Thursday to attend the Raisina Dialogue, an annual conference organised by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs. It is the premier geopolitical and geoeconomics conference in India, dedicated to tackling the most difficult problems the general populace is currently experiencing. Leaders from the fields of politics, business, media, and civil society meet annually in New Delhi to exchange ideas and look for ways to work together on a variety of national and global issues.

At the Raisina Dialogue, Kevin Pietersen spoke about the importance of sports in the development of a country, saying that it would act as “a symbol of unity” and aid to bring people together. In an effort to give logic to his statement, the legendary cricketer referred to the friendly bonding between sportspersons from different countries.

“Sports should be used to promote unity as the current world scenario is scary on so many fronts. Look at what cricket has done for players globally. So many Indian players are friends with players from England, the Caribbean, Australia etc. If cricket or sports can be used to bring together people it should definitely happen,” Pietersen opined. Furthermore, he professed his love for India and its people, saying, “I have been travelling here for the past 20 years and it keeps getting better every time I visit.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Kevin Pietersen to participate in the Raisina Dialogue by sending him a letter of appreciation on January 26, on the occasion of Republic Day celebrations. After arriving in Delhi, Pietersen met Home Minister Amit Shah and PM Modi ahead of Friday’s event. The legendary cricketer shared some glimpses of the meetings on Instagram and thanked the politicos for inviting him.

After taking his retirement from cricket in 2018, Kevin Pietersen started a new chapter of his career as a professional commentator. He has previously travelled to India to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as an English commentator. The 42-year-old is expected to continue his role in the upcoming edition of the franchise tournament, slated to begin in April.

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