Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten in the first T20I match against West Indies at Hyderabad, entertained everyone with his bat and aggressive actions against bowlers. In the first T20I match, the Indian skipper mocked the signature celebration of Kesrick Williams after hitting him boundaries. The West Indies bowler Williams though took the revenge in the second T20I at Thiruvananthapuram after dismissing Kohli on just 19 runs. The Caribbean legend Brian Lara has admitted that the rivalry between the two cricketers as healthy for the game
It all started in 2017
The Rivalry between Virat Kohli and Kesrick Williams started in 2017 when India toured West Indies for T20I and ODI series. Williams had sent back Virat Kohli with his famous notebook celebration during T20I series in Jamaica.
Now, Virat Kohli depicted the West Indies bowler’s celebration in the first T20I match (in Hyderabad) after hitting him boundaries which had left the Williams to just smile. However, in the second game of this series, the pacer Williams picked up the wicket of Indian skipper with a muted celebration.
Williams knows that he should not fire the aggressive captain so after sending back Virat Kohli in the second T20I, he decided not to follow his notebook celebration.
Brian Lara Loved the Rivalry
Former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara has opined that the rivalry between Virat Kohli and Williams is loved by the fans and also brings healthy competition in the game.
“Couple of years ago, he signed a notebook and put Virat Kohli in his notebook. The way Virat reacted in the previous match, that’s the sort of character you want in cricket. That’s the sort of rivalry you want to see and that is healthy. It brings something to the game. Fans love it. I love it,” Lara said.
West Indies won the second T20I
The host was not able to defend their first innings total of 170 runs which has let them to lose the second T20I match of the ongoing three-match T20I series against West Indies. The Caribbean team has made a comeback in the series, levelling the series by 1-1.
The two teams will head to play the third and last match of the T20I series in Mumbai on Wednesday (December 11).