With the motive to improve his batting performances in England, India skipper Virat Kohli has opted to play county cricket for Surrey in June. As per the reports in PTI, Kohli will miss Afghanistan’s first ever Test match against India in Bengaluru from June 14 for his maiden county stint. Virat will head to the south of London after the conclusion of IPL 2018.

“Virat (Kohli) will be playing for a division one county side for sure. I wouldn’t like to add anything more to it. There were talks with Surrey and Essex,” a senior BCCI official quoted by PTI as saying.

Even though Kohli has conquered more or less every condition with his willow, he has not been able to perform at his best in England. With just 134 runs in five Test matches at a dismal average of 13.40, doing well in England is a top priority for the India captain.

The report further suggests that Virat will make himself available for Surrey’s three four-day matches against Hampshire, Somerset and Yorkshire between June 9 and June 28.

Besides Kohli, India’s leading batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and speedster Ishant Sharma will also feature in county cricket to ready themselves for the England tour. While Pujara will play for Yorkshire, Ishant will represent Sussex.

India’s tour of England will kick off from July 3 where they will play three T20Is and as many ODIs before featuring in a five-match Test series from August 1.