Virat Kohli to play under Rory Burns in Surrey

What’s the story?

Indian captain will play under Rory Burns when he turns up for Surrey in the month of June. Kohli will skip the Afghanistan test owing to his aforementioned county stint.

According to Surrey’s website, Rory Burns has replaced veteran Gareth Batty as the skipper for this season.

Burns has scored 6548 runs at an average of 48.43 which includes 12 centuries and 35 fifties to his name. The left-handed batsman has also represented Surrey in 42 List A matches.

The right-hander has been in roaring form over the last four seasons as he has peeled off more than 1000 runs on a consistent basis.

The details

After signing for Surrey, the Indian captain said: “It has long been an ambition of mine to play county cricket and I am thankful to Alec Stewart and Surrey for allowing me the opportunity to join them during their 2018 season. I can’t wait to get to the Kia Oval.”

Alec Stewart, the director of Surrey was visibly chuffed with the signing: “We are thrilled to have signed the biggest name in world cricket for the month of June. “Playing and training alongside Virat will be a massive benefit for our players who will have the opportunity to learn so much from him. At a time when there is much discussion around the future of county cricket, the arrival of Virat should give our domestic game a massive boost and positive exposure around the cricketing world which in turn can benefit every county.”

In case you didn’t know…

With Kohli taking part in the County circuit, he will become the fourth Indian to ply his trade in England. Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, Varun Aaron, and Ishant Sharma are already in England and have been making waves with their performances.

What’s next?

It will be interesting to see the role assigned to Virat Kohli once he walks into the team and how he reacts to the different atmosphere around him.

Author’s take

While there are few debates over Kohli's move, there is little doubt that this experience in England will hold him in great stead when India's Test series begins.