India captain Virat Kohli will be heading to Surrey for a county stint ahead of India’s tour to England, starting from July 3 in Manchester.
Kohli will become the first Indian to join Surrey, which has been one of the powerhouses of County Championship Division One. The Delhi lad is likely to make himself available for three of Surrey’s four-day matches between June 9 and 28.
He will play in three matches against Hampshire, Somerset and Yorkshire before the actual tour of England commence with T20 Internationals. His stint with Surrey will surely help him resolve few technical glitches in his batting and England might face an entirely new form of his batting this time around.
The 29-year-old will thus miss Afghanistan’s first-ever Test match, which will be played against India in Bengaluru from June 14.
Kohli is expected to head to England soon after the completion of his commitments with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018.
Twitterati was thrilled after the news broke out and praised the Indian skipper to the fullest for his decision.
Here’s are some of the Twitter reactions:
Virat Kohli 's decision to play county cricket before the England series shows his drive and commitment to achieve excellence. I am sure not only him,but Team India will do exceedingly well in the England series. Best wishes!
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) March 24, 2018
Virat Kohli has made a strong statement of intent about the England tour where he has unfinished business by opting to play county cricket. In doing so, has also prioritised opposition by missing the test against Afghanistan
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/Rahulsiioo/status/977427389016784898
https://twitter.com/KaranArjunSm/status/977418711354101760
So it is finally public. Knew about it for weeks. @imVkohli to play county cricket in June ahead of the Eng series to prepare. V good call.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) March 24, 2018
.@imVkohli playing the County Championship is incredible news! Priorities of him are clearly evident. Knowing your weakness and working over it shows intent. This will drive not just him but the entire team to do well.
— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) March 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/Physco_Ashu/status/977432459125149697
.@imVkohli to play county cricket in June as India prepare to take on England. This is a top decision by the Indian captain. A captain is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way! All the best #ViratKohli
— Mikkhail Vaswani (@MikkhailVaswani) March 24, 2018
@imVkohli Champion decision by a champion player . you have proved once again your zeal to Excel this team in England. come with hour come with the man.
— gaggan (@gagan_sirpal) March 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/tarunj096/status/977431960594206722
Roses are red, Violets are blue… Oye@englandcricket , Time to walk all over you!!!
Kohli’s decison to play county cricket will play a huge role in deciding the series. There was never any doubt about the dedication and passion of this man. Respect 🙌🏼👏🏻@imVkohli #INDvENG— Nik (@InJail_Out_So0n) March 24, 2018
Virat Kohli to play county cricket post IPL in June before England tour. True sign of 100% dedication for the test cricket. Will definitely help him overcome the mistakes he made during his previous stint.
— LOLendra Singh (@LOLendraSingh) March 24, 2018
So Virat kohli is Playing County Season this yr for Preparation of ENG tour.. Commitment level -Virat kohli 👏👏
— गौरव शर्मा (@gauravindoriya) March 24, 2018
Great initiative by @imVkohli for playing the County Cricket right before the England tour! Dedication at the level best #ViratKohli #virat
— Jainam Shah (@JJainamShah7) March 24, 2018
ECB must be ecstatic on hearing Virat Kohli playing county cricket, blockbuster draw💰 for them.
— Rasool (@ImRASOOL) March 24, 2018
Great decision by @imVkohli to play for @surreycricket before the England tour!!#CountyChampionship
— Cricket Lover🏏 (@Sandy14999) March 24, 2018