Virat Kohli’s Surrey stint would have been mutually beneficial for both sides, believes Alec Stewart

The Indian skipper had to call off his tour to England for the County season in May and June, where Virat was supposed to play three four day matches for Surrey County Cricket Club, after his neck injury post the Indian Premier League. Pointing out to Kohli’s poor record in England as compared his achievements everywhere else around the globe, Stewart stated that the skipper’s performance in the Test series would answer all the questions related to his rest from the County stint.

“Virat has not played a lot of Test matches here in England and his record is completely different from what he has achieved everywhere else around the world. Only his performance in the Test series can answer whether his rest from the County season helped him or not,” said Stewart to the PTI.

Revealing how much he wanted Kohli to be a part of Surrey, the 55-year-old said it would have benefited both the parties.

“Both of us (Virat and Stewart) spoke about how excited we were for the upcoming season. It would have helped our club and it would have helped Virat for sure. But then he got injured and had to pull out,” added Stewart.

Stewart spoke about Virat’s excellence and the kind of impact he will have in the Test series. He mentioned that batsmen of Kohli’s class do not take much time to adjust from one format to the other.

“Players like him (Virat) adjust accordingly and I feel he will be the key to India’s success in the upcoming Test series. He has had a go in the limited overs format and I feel he will find his way to succeed in tough conditions,” claimed Stewart.

Talking about Kohli’s brilliance and how lucky he feels to watch him play live, Stewart revealed that he would gladly pay to watch Virat bat.

“I expect him to succeed, no matter for which team he plays for. I am lucky enough to come and watch cricket and not pay. But I would gladly pay to watch Virat bat,” he added.

Considering the fact that India has players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin who have played County before, Stewart said that he feels India will perform better this time.

“With players like Pujara, Ashwin, and Ishant who have played in England before in their squad, India will feel confident. I think they will perform better this time,” he concluded.