Courtesy: BCCI
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricketing superstar, announced his retirement from Test cricket last week ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series in England in June. The decision came as a shock to many, but now, with a limited schedule for the 36-year-old in his professional cricket career, Middlesex have confirmed their interest in signing Virat Kohli, and if the move comes to fruition, then he will get the chance to play in County Cricket for the first-time ever.
Notably, in its recent history, Middlesex, who play most of their home matches at Lord’s in London, have managed to sign superstars from world cricket, including former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, the close friend of Virat Kohli, for the T20 Blast in 2019. Currently, they have acquired the services of Kane Williamson for the second half of the County Cricket season in collaboration with MCC, and he will also play for London Spirit in The Hundred.
Virat Kohli pulled out of short-team deal to play for Surrey in County Cricket in 2018
As per the report published in the Guardian, written by Ali Martin, Middlesex are not adverse to signing Virat Kohli on a deal just like the Kane Williamson one, splitting the cost in the process. The director of cricket at Middlesex, Alan Coleman, was quoted as saying about the matter, “Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation.”
It is important to note that the players who are in contract with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are not allowed to play the domestic T20 competition in foreign countries, which effectively rules out Virat Kohli potentially making an appearance for Middlesex in the T20 Blast or London Spirit in The Hundred. But, he can be a part of the County Championship Division Two or One-Day Cup for the Lord’s based club this summer.
Back in 2018, Virat Kohli had signed a short-term deal to play for Surrey in the County Championship ahead of India’s five-match Test series in England, but he had to pull out because of a neck injury.
