India captain Virat Kohli officially signed his deal with English County side Surrey in order to prepare for the tour of England which is scheduled to start in July. While Kohli joining the team was known to all, the county officially announced the deal today on their official website.
The club website reads, "Surrey County Cricket Club is delighted to announce the signing of India captain Virat Kohli for the month of June."
Kohli after signing the deal 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."
Surrey's Director of Cricket and former England captain Alec Stewart said, "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."
With Kohli will play three county championship matches in June and as such, will miss the historic first-ever test match against Afghanistan in Bengaluru from June 14-18. The Committee of Administrators Chief Vinod Rai has already said that Kohli will be encouraged to play county in his bid to prepare for the Test series in August.
Kohli will make his County debut against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in Southampton from June 9 to 12 and the second match will be against Somerset from June 20-23 at Guildford. The final game will be against Yorkshire from June 25-28 at Scarborough, where Cheteshwar Pujara will be on the opposite side.
