'They are 1-1 now'- Phil Simmons on the battle between Virat Kohli & Kesrick Williams

The ongoing India-West Indies series has turned out to be an intriguing one, to say the least. From whirlwind power-hitting to Kohli’s sumptuous strokeplay to not-so sumptuous fielding to the on-field antics, it has been a roller coaster thus far. One of the talking points in the series so far has been the constant back-and-forth between Indian captain Virat Kohli and West Indies fast bowler Kesrick Williams.

The duo exchanged a few words in the first game in Hyderabad but it was Kohli who rolled as he shellacked Williams to all corners of the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.  After having nonchalantly flicked him for a six, Kohli proceeded to sign the imaginary notebook of his own. However, the West Indies bowler got one back when he dismissed Kohli in the second game at Thiruvananthapuram. Williams then proceeded to emulate Kohli’s trademark step of putting his fingers on his lips.

And, now the West Indian coach Phil Simmons has also weighed in on the ongoing banter. Speaking to the media ahead of the series decider, he reckoned, “The banter has been good, it has been interesting because they are 1-1 now because he [Virat] got Kesrick in the first match and Kesrick got him in the second. Let’s see who wins it tomorrow [Wednesday].”

Who will have the final laugh in Mumbai?

Coming back to Virat Kohli’s celebration, the Indian captain went on to explain its context. During the 2017 Indian tour of West Indies, Kesrick Williams had dismissed the Indian skipper and had proceeded to go with his ‘notebook’ celebration. Kohli hadn’t forgotten it and two years, the Indian superstar gave it back in style.

“Williams had given me the notebook when he dismissed me in Jamaica, so I remembered it from there. We gave each other a high-five later. Play hard but respect the opponent,” Kohli had said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

As far as the three-match series is concerned, it’s locked at 1-1 with all to play for at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. And, the manner in which Kohli-Williams saga pans out could well turn out to dominate the entire narrative of the game.

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