He can't do anything: Kevin Pietersen claims Virat Kohli is bigger superstar than David Beckham

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen claimed that Indian batting great Virat Kohli is a bigger star when compared to footballing royalty David Beckham. Both these superstars of their respective fields shared an interesting interaction during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and sparked conversations about a possible comparison of the two greats.

Also Read: Shoaib Bashir gets visa clearance to visit India for Test tour

Rekindling this discussion,  Kevin Pietersen was speaking ahead of the first Test match between India and England in Hyderabad where he spoke about the impact of Virat Kohli's absence for the first two games of the series. Here KP expressed that  David Beckham can't fill Virat Kohli's shoes.

Kevin Pietersen compares Virat Kohli and David Beckham

Speaking to talkSPORT,  Pietersen said, "You guys have covered football for a very long time and you understand the gravitas that a guy like David Beckham has in England. Multiply that by a thousand and that's what Kohli's life is like here in India."

"He can't do anything. The biggest stars, the Tendulkars, the Dhonis, the Kohlis, they live a completely different life.  That weight of expectation of a billion people on his shoulders every single time he steps out in public is something that he's had to deal with and he's dealt with it remarkably well."

It's a big loss for India:  Pietersen on Virat Kohli's absence

Kevin Pietersen also talked about how Kohli being away will allow  England to advantage in the series. The England batter said,  "It's a big loss for India and it's a big plus for England because where he feels most free is when he bats and that's why he produces the results that he does.  He goes over the white line and he doesn't have to worry about what he looks like or what he says, he lets his bat do the talking and that's where he feels most free.