NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli says he is keen to play county cricket to get used to conditions on English soil ahead of India’s tour of the country later this year.

The Indian skipper — the second-ranked Test batsman in the world and the best in One-day Internationals — had an uncharacteristically ordinary spell during the England tour in 2014.

The prolific run-getter managed just 134 runs in 10 innings, a far cry from the average 53.40 over 66 Tests, including 21 centuries that earned him the moniker ‘King Kohli’.

He wants to avoid a repeat of his poor form on English soil, and plans to train there to prepare for India’s tour starting July.

“Playing county cricket will help me improve my game,” the 29-year-old batsman told Indian TV channel NDTV. “I think it makes things more challenging and more competitive and there are no guarantees whether you are going to do well even if you go in advance.

“It’s just about giving yourself more opportunity to get used to the conditions that you are not used to.”

The all-important series will see India play England in three Twenty20 matches, three ODIs and five Tests.

It has been widely reported in Indian press that Kohli would join English county side Surrey for a brief stint in June.

Surrey’s director Alec Stewart had expressed interest in signing Kohli after reports the Indian cricket board would allow their top batsman to skip the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting on June 14.

Kohli had stressed the need for getting used to local conditions after India, the world’s top Test team, lost a series to South Africa 2-1 in January.

“If players get an opportunity then why not,” he said of Indians taking whatever chances they get to hit abroad.

But speculation of Kohli’s debut in county cricket has rubbed some the wrong way.

Former England paceman Bob Willis said England risked losing Test matches at home if ‘we’re accommodating all these visiting players’.

“I can’t stand overseas players in county cricket,” he told Sky Sports. “The only way to improve our Test team is to have as many England-qualified players playing in the County Championship as possible.

“Instead, they’re going to pay Kohli, presumably, five figures a match so he can hone his skills in English conditions before a Test series. It’s nonsense.”

Meanwhile, Kohli smashed 92 off 62 balls to become the highest run-scorer in Indian Premier League (IPL) history but his efforts could not halt Royal Challengers Bangalore’s slump in this year’s tournament.

Kohli’s innings took his IPL total to 4,619 runs in 153 matches, putting him ahead of Suresh Raina of Chennai Super Kings on 4,558.

His knock went in vain however as Bangalore went down to defending champions the Mumbai Indians by 46 runs on Tuesday.

“I don’t feel like wearing this [orange cap] right now because it really doesn’t matter,” said Kohli, who is top of the IPL batting chart with 201 runs in four games this season.

“We tried our hardest but couldn’t get the breakthroughs,” Kohli said on his team letting Mumbai score 213 after batting first. It was Bangalore’s third loss in four matches.

The 29-year-old Kohli has been with Bangalore since the IPL started in 2008, but has not won a single title in the cash-rich T20 league.

The Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad — a side that edged out Bangalore to win their maiden title in 2016 — lead the points table with three wins from three games.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2018