Kesrick Williams on his 'notebook celebration' with Virat Kohli

Kesrick Williams has carved a name for himself with his 'notebook celebration'. The one where he writes down the name of the batsman he has just dismissed. But it hasn't gone down too well with many deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine. In that category belongs India captain Virat Kohli. Now Williams himself has come out and given his side of the story and revealed when the celebration actually began.

While on a live interaction with International Cricket Network 360, Williams said that he was disappointed with the way Kohli reacted to the celebration after it was unveiled in a game in Jamaica in 2017 when he got him out. 

"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 fan," Williams said. "But Kohli didn't see it that way. After the game finished, I went to shake his hands, Kohli said good bowling but the celebration eeeh and he walked off.

"Last year in India, as soon as Mr Virat Kohli walked into 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'. Seriously! the episode is back from 2017. Every ball I bowled, he said something but I simply responded, 'mate, just bat and shut up. Really, you sound like a child.'

"But all he really heard was just, 'can you just bat and shut up', the part about child and whatever he didn't hear because I was walking back. That's all I said but he kept talking."

It was Kohli who had the upper hand when the two clashed in the first T20I in Hyderabad in 2019. Kohli finished unbeaten on 94 off 50 which included a severe pasting of Williams. Of the 12 deliveries he faced from Williams, Kohli hit 32 runs and returned the favor by doing the 'notebook celebration'. Williams admitted that Kohli had bested him on the day.

"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 got into my head and that's why he beat me badly," he said.

Williams also felt bad that his name was all over the newspapers in India the next day.

"Next day, I'm all over India newspapers, I'm being honest I felt bad. But I like a challenge, I love a challenge and I love fame. So at that moment I told myself, Kohli you're the best player in the world but you've just met the most determined player in the world. Who doesn't give up, who doesn't say no and who [will] always grind to come up on top. That's the player you've met. And when things get bad, that's when I shine.

"In the match, Kohli is getting ready to bat, sitting in the boundary. I was fielding at fine leg, every time I look at him, he's shaking his head. In my mind, I kept thinking, I want you to bat, hurry up and come. What happened next was I tied him down for two overs and the only six that he could hit in the two overs was because I failed to execute the delivery. After hitting one six, Kohli celebrated while I thought one six and he reacted that way, I wish we had a full game."

In the next T20I, Williams after dismissing Kohli refrained from the 'notebook celebration' instead placing his finger on his lips making a gesture of shushing his mates who were celebrating.