English County shows interest in signing Virat Kohli for One-Day Cup post stalwart's Test retirement: Reports

English county side Middlesex has expressed interest in signing Indian batting talisman Virat Kohli to play red-ball and 50-over cricket for them. A report in The Guardian claimed there was a belief that the right-handed batter was "keen to play at the Home of Cricket again."

Middlesex director of cricket Alan Coleman, who referred to the right-hander as "the most iconic player of his generation," said that the county would be open to speaking to Kohli about playing for them this season.

“Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation," Coleman said (via The Guardian).

Kohli is still contracted with the BCCI and hence is ineligible to play T20 franchise cricket outside of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He can, however, play red-ball matches and 50-over matches for other teams overseas. Middlesex play their home matches at Lord's.

In February, the county signed New Zealand batting lynchpin Kane Williamson for the second half of the season. A county press release said that the 34-year-old was available to play five red-ball matches and 14 T20 Blast matches for Middlesex.

Virat Kohli's previous tryst with county cricket

This is not the first time that Virat Kohli has been linked with playing county cricket in England. In 2018, reports emerged that the right-hander was set to play for another London county - Surrey - before India's tour to England.

However, that stint did not see the light of day after Kohli suffered a neck injury. But that did not deter the batter from having a prolific series against England, where he made 593 runs in 10 innings with two centuries.

Under Kohli's captaincy, India took a 2-1 series lead on the 2021 tour, with victories at Lord's and The Oval. The right-hander ended his Test career with 9230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85.