The English County team Surrey has announced that India skipper Virat Kohli will be signing for them for the month of June. Director of cricket Alec Stewart has finally been able to grab the services of the Indian batting stalwart and he will be joining the team once his duties in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore are complete, with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) hoping a month in the county game should help Kohli adapt to English conditions ahead of this summer’s tour to England.
The elegant right-handed batsman will get his first taste of county cricket at The Oval, a ground he knows well from his time on the international cricket, and will significantly strengthen the batting talent available to Michael Di Venuto. Talking about the association, Kohli said, “It’s long been an ambition of mine to play county cricket and I’m thankful to Alec Stewart and Surrey for allowing me the opportunity.”
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“We’re thrilled to have signed the biggest name in world cricket for the month of June,” Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart said. He further added, “Playing and training alongside Virat will be a massive benefit for our players who will have the opportunity to learn so much from him.”
Kohli should be available for three County Championship games during his month in south London; away at Hampshire, a home four-dayer against Somerset at Guildford and then a trip to Headingley.
The 29-year-old should play in three Royal London one-day cup games as well, with Surrey scheduled to face Kent at Beckenham before a trip to Lord’s and then Glamorgan’s visit to The Oval.
India’s Test series against England will be commencing on 1 August at Edgbaston. Four players eligible to be part of the tourists’ Test squad will have had stints in county cricket by July. India’s top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is currently playing for Yorkshire, while pace bowlers Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron are in action for Sussex and Leicestershire respectively.
According to a report of PTI, Virat Kohli will miss Afghanistan’s historic Test debut in Bengaluru from June 14 and instead travel to the south of London soon after the conclusion of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 season.
