“He got into my head honestly” - When Kesrick Williams recalled his famous ‘notebook’ banter with Virat Kohli
Team India ace batter Virat Kohli has had some memorable battles with bowlers, whether it be Mitchell Johnson or James Anderson among others. One such battle was with West Indies' Kesrick Williams, the seeds of which were planted by the bowler himself with the infamous 'notebook' celebration in 2017.
During a T20I clash in Jamaica, the right-arm pacer had pulled out the celebration after dismissing Kohli for 39 runs. After India lost the clash by nine wickets courtesy of an Evin Lewis masterclass, Williams revealed that Kohli was stiff during his post-match interaction.
“Virat Kohli is the first person I did that notebook celebration on in Jamaica. When I did the notebook celebration, I did it because I liked it and I did it for my fans. But Kohli didn’t see it that way,” Williams said in a video interview uploaded on the International Cricket Network 360 YouTube channel in 2020.
“After the game finished, I went to shake his hands. Kohli said good bowling and he walked off. He didn’t walk off rudely. But it was the end of our greeting," he added.
Kohli is not one to forget, and the same was evident when the two came face-to-face once again during a three-match T20I series in India two years later.
The then-Indian skipper put up one of his best T20I innings (94* off 50) to help India chase down 208 runs, and in the process smoked Williams all over the park. He had scored a trademark flick shot for six over mid-wicket and served the notebook celebration back to the pacer while glaring at him.
"As soon as Mr Virat Kohli walked in to bat, he walks straight at me and says, ‘the notebook celebration thing is not going to work here tonight. I’m going to make sure it won’t work’,” Williams recalled.
Williams further added that he found Kohli's demeanor childish, but admitted that it was the Indian batter that won the battle in some style.
“Seriously! The episode is back from 2017. Every ball I bowled he said something but I simply responded with ‘Mate, just shut up and bat. Really, you sound like a child. But all he heard was ‘can you just bat and shut up’ The part about child and whatever he didn’t hear because I was walking back," Williams said.
“That’s all I said but he kept talking. In the match he beat me really bad, I got confused, because he got into my head honestly and I kept thinking its alright,” he added.
Kesrick Williams managed to dismiss Kohli in the next contest in Thiruvananthapuram and dished out the 'stay silent' celebration. The ace Indian batter avenged and made amends in the series finale by smashing 70 runs off 29 deliveries at the Wankhede Stadium to guide India to a 2-1 win.
"I thought I'll tick a few in the notebook as well, but all good" - Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli opened up about his ongoing tussle with Williams after he was adjudged as player of the match in the series finale. He remarked that all of their banter was conducted with good spirits.
"It happened to me in Jamaica when he got me out. So I thought I'll tick a few in the notebook as well, but all good. There were a few words, but smiles at the end. That's what you want to see. Good competitive cricket but in the end shake hands and give a hi-fi. That's what cricket is all about. Play it hard but have respect for opponents," Kohli said during the post-match presentation.
Kesrick Williams slowly faded away from the national side after his set of altercations with Virat Kohli. The pacer's last international appearance came in 2020.