'Morne Morkel got lucky or else I would've smashed him': Manvinder Bisla recalls Virat Kohli facing India bowling coach

Team India batter Virat Kohli is well known for his confidence and desire to dominate the best bowlers in the business, smashing runs fearlessly even when other batters around him struggle to score. Kohli showcased the same passion and hunger to excel while facing former South Africa pacer and current Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel, during an IPL 2015 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
"Kohli was watching Morkel bowl during a practice session held before the match. The deliveries were bouncing massively. Kohli said, 'I will smash Morkel for fours and sixes tomorrow to all parts of the ground'. He seemed pretty confident of a solid knock despite the bounce being generated," said former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Manvinder Bisla during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
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"Kohli started off confidently against KKR but eventually got dismissed for 13 by Morkel, following a catch down leg by Robin Uthappa. Usually, most players are down on confidence after being dismissed and doubt themselves but Kohli's reaction was quite interesting in this situation. While walking back, Kohli kept telling himself, 'Today, he got lucky otherwise I would have definitely smashed him for many sixes and scored a half-century at least. I am going to smash Morkel for a lot of runs the next time I face him'," added Bisla.

The former RCB and KKR batter also shared an anecdote from an IPL 2011 match between KKR and Mumbai Indians (MI), where former Indian pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji failed to defend 21 runs off the last over. Ambati Rayudu smashed a six off the last ball of the match, resulting in MI pulling off a thrilling win.
"KKR head coach Dav Whatmore was absolutely furious in the dressing room after the match. However, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir came, put his arm around Balaji's shoulder and said, 'Nobody will say anything to him. We are all collectively responsible for this'," stated Bisla.