Virat Kohli set for County cricket, will miss one-off Test vs Afghanistan

Virat Kohli wants to prepare for the Test series against England in August-September and has attached more importance to acclimatising in County cricket than the Test against Afghanistan from June 14.

PTI File photo

New Delhi: India captain Virat Kohli is all set to play County cricket in his bid to prepare for the upcoming Test series against England in August-September.

It is learnt that the Indian captain's sole focus is on the five-Test series against England and he is ready to miss the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting June 14 as he will be busy with his county stint. And while it is yet to be ascertained which county Kohli will represent, it could be Surrey in all likelihood.

"Virat will be playing for a division one county side for sure. I wouldn't like to add anything more to it. There were talks with Surrey and Essex," a senior BCCI official told PTI on Saturday.

He will leave for England after completing his assignment for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 11th edition of Indian Premier League.

Kohli didn't have a great Test series in England in 2014 when he failed to get even a single half-century. He was found vulnerable outside the off-stump and Stuart Broad and James Anderson troubled him a lot.

The BCCI is putting in a lot of effort for the upcoming Test series and want more and more players to get accustomed to English conditions. Accordingly, Cheteshwar Pujara will be turning up for Yorkshire while Ishant Sharma will be playing for Durham.

It is also learnt that some of the senior India players will also turn up for India A in England in their bid to prepare for the tour.

The likes of Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane are also expected to prop up their preparations.