Virat Kohli Planning to Play County Cricket To Succeed In England Away Series
Virat Kohli, with an eye on India's England tour in 2018, is planning to play county cricket to get accustomed to the conditions
- NDTV Sports
- Updated: December 15, 2016 04:59 PM IST
Highlights
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Virat Kohli wants to play county cricket ahead of the 2018 England tour
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Kohli hasn't been able to perform well in England
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In five Tests in England, Kohli has averaged 13.40
Virat Kohli is known for his meticulous preparation. After tasting success in against most major teams in overseas conditions, the India Test captain has set his sight on England. India are scheduled to tour England in 2018, and before that Kohli wants to play county cricket to acclimatise to the conditions.
Overall, Kohli has played five Tests in England averaging 13.40 with his highest score being 39. With the disastrous 2014 tour still fresh in his mind, Kohli said: "If I have a chance, I would love to do that. I would love to be there a month, a month and a half before the tour, get used to playing in those conditions, understand how the wickets behave in that particular time of the year."
"Preparation is something which is crucial for any side," he added.
Kohli has scored all around the world barring England, where he endured a tough tour two years ago. However, since the tough tour of 2014, he has turned into a run machine amassing runs across all formats.
Kohli said that he had been thinking about a county stint for a while.
"If I have the opportunity to do that before the England tour, it will be great. I have actually been thinking about it, trying to work it out and make it happen. So yes, I would love to play there," added the Indian Test captain.
Kohli had a forgettable tour the last time around as he was founding wanting against the outside the off-stump line employed by England pacers.
He has been unstoppable in the ongoing home series, scoring 640 runs in seven innings at an average of 128, including a 235 in the last game in Mumbai.
During the Mumbai Test, leading England pacer James Anderson had courted a controversy by saying that Indian conditions take out any possible flaws out of Kohli's game and he was not sure whether the Indian skipper was an improved batsman since 2014.
"I'm not sure he's changed. I just think any technical deficiencies he's got aren't in play out here (in India). The wickets just take that out of the equation," Anderson had said during the Mumbai Test.