Kesrick Williams Reveals He Was Surprised When Virat Kohli Imitated Him In 2019

Kesrick Williams, the West Indies pacer recalled his jest with Indian captain Virat Kohli. Kesrick Williams had dismissed Virat Kohli in a T20I match in Jamaica in 2017, and celebrated the prized scalp with his famous “notebook celebrations”. Virat Kohli was dismissed for 39 in the solitary T20I which the West Indies won by 9 wickets riding on Evin Lewis century. But Kesrick Williams did not know that Virat Kohli is not the person who lets the bowler win banters and hence during the T20I game between the two teams in Hyderabad in 2019, Virat Kohli took his revenge.

Kesrick Williams debuted in T20I in 2016 and ODI in 2017 and has so far appeared in 8 ODIs and 25 T20Is where he has picked up 9 and 41 wickets. Though his average is on the higher side in ODIs being 32.55, his average is considered excellent in T20Is being 18.82. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, is on the form of his life being the top-ranked cricketer in ODIs and averaging more than 50 across all formats. He has already scored more than 10,000 runs in ODI where he has scored 43 tons and also already scored 27 tons in Tests too.

Kesrick Williams Surprised To See Virat Kohli Repeating His Celebration

Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 94 in the first T20I of the 3 T20I series in Hyderabad on 2019 as India chased down the difficult target of 208 and won by 6 wickets. Kohli lofted a straight delivery from Kesrick Williams for a six and then the right-hander imitated the bowler’s “notebook celebrations”. The moment became viral on social media and was on newspaper headlines the next day.

“When he did it, I was like Woah! I was surprised, very very surprised. The first time I did it to him was in 2017. And to remember it in 2019, it shows the kind of player he is. ‘You know what, I have to get back at this guy,’ which he did in Hyderabad,” Kesrick said in an interview to Sportskeeda.

In the solitary T20I in 2017, Kesrick Williams picked up Virat Kohli’s wicket, and then put his finger on the lips to celebrate it after scribbling something in palms and erasing the unseen writing. The banter between the two cricketers became a hot topic during the series but came up again for discussion when Virat Kohli repeated the act two years later in 2019.

Kesrick Williams Respects Virat Kohli And Mentions Him As The Best Talented Batsman Currently

Virat Kohli has played 86 Tests, 248 ODI and 82 T20I where he has scored 7240,11867 and 2794 runs respectively. His highest score in T20I was achieved during the match against West Indies in Hyderabad in 2019.

“I decided I am not going to let somebody ride over me just like that. I am now going to hit him back hard. And I came back, hit him hard, and got the best of him, in the second game,” Williams added.

“I think I get the best of him and I think the next time we meet again it’s going to be something. I am ready for it. I don’t care who he is. Yes, he is a talented player. He is probably the best player in the world. I always respect him when it comes to that. But when it comes to my bowling, and his batting, it’s me or him on the day, which I am going to back myself every time,” Kesrick Williams further said.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli with his teammates of franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore reached Dubai earlier this week to participate in the 13th edition of Indian Premier League.