The Indian skipper Virat Kohli was expected to play for Surrey as his maiden County stint in the month of June before an injury ruled him out of the same. Soon after the end of the season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Virat has a neck strain in his neck and won’t be traveling to England to play in the County Championship. However, the club has now moved on and named the replacement for the Indian skipper.
Kohli was ready for the England tour, was ready to skip the historic Test match against Afghanistan as well. He had signed a contract to play 3 One-Day matches and the same number of four-day encounters for Surrey in June. The current reports suggested that he has successfully cleared the yo-yo fitness test ahead of the tour and will be available for the Men in Blue for the two-match T20I series against Ireland as well which is commencing on June 27.
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According to the official website of Surrey, Theunis de Bruyn, the South African cricketer, will replace Virat Kohli in the squad. Talking about his association, De Bruyn said, “It has always been one of my ambitions to play county cricket.” He will play the games against Somerset and Yorkshire for the County club and will be itching to prove his mettle.
The Director of Cricket for Surrey, Alec Stewart, believed that De Bruyn will play a crucial role in a couple of county matches in the absence of other key players who are on national duty. He said, “With Jason Roy and Tom Curran involved in the current one-day series against Australia and Ben Foakes and Sam Curran representing England Lions, Theunis will provide vital reinforcement for our next two County Championship matches.”
De Bruyn hasn’t been that much effective in his short 5-match Test career having scored only 130 runs at a meager average of 14.44. However, he has been included in Proteas squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour though and would be looking to make amends as the Proteas face the spin challenge.
