The West Indies hit back in style -- not just to level the three-match T20I series 1-1 and force a decider, but also in everything else that can be done and achieved in the field of play, including personal rivalries. Cricket is a team game where a collective defines success and failure. 2nd T20I Highlights | Scorecard | Cricket News But this "gentleman's game," as witnessed over the years, has given platforms to individual players to claim their superiority over the others and many protagonists have played their roles to perfection, giving rise to superstars. When these superstars indulge in open one-upmanship games in front of packed stadiums, the very acts become talking points, often reducing the match itself to a mere encounter between two sides. Personal exploits are hailed while the results get reduced to footnotes. Well, for Indian fans, no one is bigger than Virat Kohli. The skipper, India's batting mainstay, who is also probably the best today. And he loves theatrics. During his epic knock at Hyderabad, the 31-year-old from Delhi performed a celebration worthy of some gladiatorial combat wherein the victor would often stand over the vanquished and declare his claims. Then, the vanquished as Windies pacer Kesrick Williams, who came with his own signature, on a notebook. After hitting a delectable six, a fired-up Kohli struck off Williams' name. He was angry, for, during a previous visit to the Caribbeans, Williams had handed out a similar celebration. But remember, Kohli forgets nothing. Then on Sunday, it was Williams' turn to literally turn the table. He had Kohli, and the 29-year-old Vincentian gave the Indian skipper a taste of his own 'silent treatment'. The story or rather footage of Williams' celebration found mention in every report. For many, Williams's hushed-up 'shhh!' celebration was a way of giving respect to Kohli and a reminder to his teammates not to enrage the Indian captain. But, one thing was sure, Kohli had a good look at the whole proceedings. Here's what happened in the match: India, put in to bat, managed 170/7 with promoted Shivan Dube hitting his maiden T20I fifty and Rishabh Pant returning undefeated on 33. But the Windies chased it down with relative ease, losing only two wickets in the process. Lendl Simmons anchored the chase with an unbeaten 67 off 45. Now, the two teams will head to Mumbai for the final showdown and expect the Kohli-Williams rivalry to have another chapter. Yes, Kohli forgets nothing. India registered a 6-wicket victory over West Indies in T20I series opener in Hyderabad Virat Kohli smashed T20I career-best knock of 94 runs Kohli was awarded Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock India cruised to a 6-wicket victory over West Indies in Hyderabad to go 1-0 up in the 3-match T20I series, Friday. Virat Kohli smashed his T20I career-best knock of 94 at an astonishing strike rate of 188 to see India home. In a mammoth 208 run chase, Virat Kohli walked out to bat when Rohit Sharma fell for 8 in the 4th over itself. The skipper had a shaky start to his blistering innings as he failed to execute his shots timely a couple of times. At one point, Kohli was 3 off 9 balls and 20 off 20 but the swashbuckling batsman then got into the groove, finishing with 94 runs off 50 balls. Kohli's last 68 runs came off 25 balls. After being awarded the Man of the Match in the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli advised the young cricketers to not follow his first-half of the innings. "To young batsmen watch
after hitting huge six rection of king kohli
ing, don't follow the first half of my innings. I was batting poorly at that time. I didn't want to put KL under pressure but I couldn't get going. Luckily got that one over from Holder, and then I began to analyze why I'm going wrong. Realized I'm not a slogger but a timer instead, and then changed my playing style," Kohli said. In the 5th over of India's innings, Kohli got an inside edge that West Indies did not review. The skipper then nearly chopped on in the 11th over as he seemed to be trying too hard to force things. It was only in the second half of the innings that Virat Kohli changed his playing style and there was no stopping the captain thereafter as he smashed 6 sixes and as many boundaries in his unbeaten knock. "I'm not someone who wants to entertain by hitting in the air. The aim is not to play slam-bang cricket. One of Rohit or I have to play along in this team. That's the role I play in every team I play in. Basic funda is that I don't want to change my game too much for T20Is. I'm an all-format player. I just want to score runs every game. There are a lot of distractions when you're chasing a big total. Like the scoreboard. But after 4-5 dot balls, the game puts you in a zone where you have no option but to focus on the game again." In the 16th over of India's innings, Virat Kohli hit Kesrick Williams for a maximum and then imitated the bowler's famous notebook celebration where Kohli used his beat as a notebook to "tick" Kesrick's name off. Talking about that, Kohli said, "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." Also Read | 1st T20I: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul masterclass help India to their highest ever chase vs West Indies Also Read | Just amazing: Vivian Richards in awe of Virat Kohli after India captain hits world record 23rd T20I fifty.
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