Kevin Pietersen’s Love for India: A Family’s Desperate Return |

Former English cricketer Kevin Pietersen was back in India, and is s just as enamoured with the country as he was during his first visit 20 years ago. As he poses for the Bombay Times lens, the cricketer talks about why he loves spending time in India.

‘I’ve seen the development here over the years

“India is a country that keeps bringing me back. Mumbai is such a cool city. It is one of my favourite cities,” he says. Talking about the changes he has seen around the country over the years, he shares, “I’ve been coming to India for 20 years and I’ve seen the development here. I’ve seen the infrastructure improve. The hotels and the hospitality are better than anywhere else in the world. The people are magnificent. So, for us as cricketers and ex-cricketers to have seen this journey, it has been off the charts. My first trip here was in 2003-2004. I had my first family holiday with my kids here in October last year and we had the most wonderful time.”
Pietersen’s family holiday was a memorable one, with stopovers at Mumbai, Rajasthan and Ranthambore, where they went on a tiger safari. The 44-year-old recalls, “We were in Mumbai for a few days, and then we went to Rajasthan. We went to Ranthambore to look for tigers. We spent quite a bit of time here, and my family is desperate to come back.”

‘I’m not a guy that chases food on the streets’

Pietersen says he hasn’t been able to indulge in the local street food during his current visit. “I’ve been very structured in the way that I’ve gone about my last couple of days. When I travel, I stick to a real guideline as to what I eat, when I eat and when I train. I like to be as healthy as possible. So, I only eat at certain times of the day and certain foods. I’m not a guy that goes and chases food on the streets,” he says.
However, Pietersen adds that he has tried some of popular street food here in the past. “Of course, I’ve had vada pav here and pani puri in Delhi,” he says.