Round two of the duel between Virat Kohli and Kesrick Williams went to the West Indian cricketer as the Indian skipper was dismissed by Williams in the second T20I at the Greenfields stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
But instead of his usual send off, Williams had an unexpected reaction to Kohli’s dismissal. After the pacer dismissed Kohli, he asked his teammates to remain silent instead of the usual notebook celebration.
Williams reaction was a dampener after the way things turned out between the duo in the first T20I. Kohli had given Williams a taste of his own medicine by imitating William’s signature notebook celebration after dispatching him for a six in Hyderabad.
Things started unfolding in the 13th over in the first match after Virat Kohli and Williams almost collided in the middle of the pitch while the batsman went for a single.
Not happy with the incident, Kohli immediately complained to the on-field umpire despite Williams raising his hands in apology straightaway.
But the whole episode instigated the Indian skipper as he decided to shift gears.
And Williams had to pay a heavy price in his next over – the 16th over. India chasing 208 for a win, still needed 54 off the last 5 overs. Both Kohli and Rishabh Pant hit Williams for a six each as India scored 23 runs off the over.
And it was after Kohli hit the six, he brought on the notebook celebration as Williams looked on in amusement. The beauty of the shot from Kohli – a strong wristy flick over long on – made sure Williams had any other option apart from appreciating the mastery of King Kohli.
When asked during the post-match presentation, Kohli later revealed that Williams had given him a send-off in 2017 after dismissing him during a T20I in Jamaica two years ago and thus he came up with the celebration.
With one match yet to go in the series, it would interesting to see whether we have seen the last of Kohli-Williams saga or a round three is on the cards in Mumbai on 11 December.
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