India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday officially inked his deal with top English county side Surrey in his bid to prepare for the tour of England, starting in July. While Kohli joining the London-based team was an open secret, the county officially announced the deal on their official website on Thursday.
“Surrey County Cricket Club are delighted to announce the signing of India captain Virat Kohli for the month of June,” the club announced on their website.
It has long been an ambition of mine to play county cricket and I am thankful to Alec Stewart and Surrey for allowing me the opportunity to join them during their 2018 season. I can’t wait to get to the Kia Oval.Virat Kohli after signing for Surrey.
“We are thrilled to have signed the biggest name in world cricket for the month of June,” said Alec Stewart, Surrey's Director of Cricket. “Playing and training alongside Virat will be a massive benefit for our players who will have the opportunity to learn so much from him.
“At a time when there is much discussion around the future of county cricket, the arrival of Virat should give our domestic game a massive boost and positive exposure around the cricketing world which in turn can benefit every county,” the former England captain added.
With Kohli playing three county championship matches in June, he is all set to miss the historic first-ever Test match against Afghanistan scheduled in Bengaluru from June 14-18. The Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai has already said that Kohli will be encouraged to play county in his bid to prepare for the Test series in August.
Kohli will be available for all cricket throughout the month until the close of Surrey’s trip to Scarborough to face Yorkshire.Surrey website
The 29-year-old will become the fourth Test eligible Indian player in county cricket this year with fellow batsman Cheteshwar Pujara currently at Yorkshire and seamers Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron plying their trade at Sussex and Leicestershire respectively. Axar Patel is supposed to play for Durham in August.
Kohli will make his County debut against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in Southampton from June 9 to 12. If the match ends on June 12, Kohli can only reach Bengaluru on next day June 13, a day before the Test match starts.
The second match will be against Somerset from June 20-23 at Guildford. The final game will be against Yorkshire from June 25-28 at Scarborough, where Cheteshwar Pujara will be on opposite side.
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