Kohli wants to play county cricket before 2018 England tour

Virat Kohli has scored runs all across the world but failed to get going in the 2014 tour to England, where his susceptibility to play outside the off-stump deliveries came to the fore. He struggled to judge the swing of the English pacers but has became a more accountable batsman after that. In 2016, he has put talks about his Test format greatness to rest slamming three double centuries in three consecutive series- against West Indies, New Zealand, and England. But with a quest to learn more, Virat wants to take part in county cricket before the 2018 England tour.

"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," said Kohli in the pre-match press conference ahead of the fifth and final Test against England. 

"Preparation is something which is crucial for any side," he added. 

The Indian run-machine had scored only 39 runs from five Test matches in 2014 and got out to James Anderson 3 times in the series.  However, since that tour, he has turned into a much-better batsman and a pretty good student of the game. But, he doesn’t want to harbour any complacency and wants to have some match practice before the tough tour. 

“I think those things matter a lot and is something that is very crucial for a side. So yes, if I have the opportunity to go there a few days before the tour starts that would be great. I have actually been thinking about it and trying to work out how I can make that happen. Most definitely, if I have time, I would love to,” he said.

But, Kohli’s availability will be dependent upon the window between the Indian Premier League and the start of the tour, the dates of which are yet to be confirmed.