Virat Kohli answers Test cricket's cry for help by agreeing to Surrey county stint

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  • Personal accolade: Virat Kohli

    Both Test and red-ball cricket has needed a saviour for a long time now. Finally, someone has stepped up to save the game’s oldest and most historic format. Virat Kohli is his name.

    The India captain’s decision to join Surrey in June and play in three County Championship fixtures, and as many one-day clashes to get ready for his country’s five-match Test tour of England starting on August 1, is a significant moment and one cricket has been crying out for.

    Kohli, who is the most well-known cricketer on the planet and arguably the best batsman in all formats to boot, will obviously use his time at The Oval to get accustomed to swinging and seaming English conditions having averaged a disappointing 13.40 in five Tests during India’s last tour of the country in 2014. Given the 29-year-old’s status, his decision to play first-class cricket in England has great implications not only for Indian cricket but the game in general.

    In a climate where many stars of global Twenty20 leagues and freelance limited-overs entertainers have turned their back on longer form cricket and often the opportunity for their nation, Kohli has gone in the opposite direction.

    Cricket needed a man of Kohli’s influence – few other stars could have the same kind of impact – to come out and make a commitment to becoming the best Test cricketer he can be by proving himself in a country where he has previously struggled.

    The fact Kohli misses a one-off Test against Afghanistan in June to accommodate his Surrey commitments is neither here nor there. He has seized the opportunity to improve his game in testing conditions and become an even better Test player. It would indeed be no surprises if this decision helps India beat England, who have a dominant record at home. Indeed, Joe Root’s men should be pretty worried now given an acclimatised Kohli will come up against an attack that does thrive at home but is all too reliant on veteran James Anderson and the ageing Stuart Broad.

    For a foreign player, experience in England can help form a major part of their make-up. Greats like Sir Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and even a certain Sachin Tendulkar, plying his trade for Yorkshire in 1992, have all gone before Kohli in taking this step.

    For the Little Master, his stint at Headingley was an eye-opening experience as he had to live away from home, settle in a new culture, live in digs and get used to a cricket dressing room vibe; something he had never experienced before. Ultimately, his record in England throughout his career was good but not spectacular, but he picked up more character-building traits from playing in a new environment. Sunil Gavaskar, too, turned out for Somerset in 1980 and has often talked about how much he learned there.

    While this new venture is designed to help Kohli complete his ‘bucket list’ and lead India to a series win in England with the bat, let’s not forget the great opportunity county cricketers now have to watch and learn from one of the modern-day greats of the game. It’s a two-way street and Kohli has joined Indian players such as Cheteshwar Pujara (Yorkshire) and pace duo Ishant Sharma (Sussex) and Varun Aaron (Leicestershire), as those who are also seeking to better themselves away from home.

    Kohli’s decision is a welcome relief at a time many players are shunning the game’s longest format – the part of the game they have grown up with. A point also worth noting is that Kohli – a busy man on the field and away from it – has taken time out to get better despite all that he has achieved.

    Of course, Test cricket and domestic four-day action, particularly in England, needs to keep reinventing itself and find new ways to ensure its survival; like more lucrative financial incentives. But Kohli has highlighted the importance of these two formats and done more than the ICC has managed to rustle up in the past decade.

    Nasser Hussain, the former England captain who is respected as one of cricket’s most knowledgeable and trustworthy voices, summed up the Kohli news well. His Tweet read: “Fair play to Virat Kohli .. in a time where some cricketers are reducing their red ball exposure.. the busiest cricketer on the planet is putting it first to prepare for a Test series in England .. giving himself the best chance to succeed!!”

    Hopefully more players will follow in Chiku’s path and try to become the best they can be, rather than thinking about the number of digits on their bank balance.

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