Kohli to snub Afghan Test for county stint

India captain Virat Kohli is set to snub the first ever Test for Afghanistan in favour of a stint in county cricket to acclimatise ahead of England's tour this winter, according to reports.

The 29-year-old could line up at Surrey alongside Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who has already committed to the county reportedly favourite to land Kohli's signature.

After a humiliating 2014 tour of England, India are focussed on an improved showing, with Kohli's ability to overcome his personal travails seen as a key component.

India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and bowler Ishant Sharma have already signed on for county stints, with Yorkshire and Durham respectively.

And several others, including Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, are expected to feature for India A on a tour of the UK before the senior team's five-Test series in August and September.

Kohli's form in England remains a blot on his record after that 2014 tour, where he scored 134 runs at 13.40 in five Tests, with a top score of 39 and six single-figure scores.

That is the second-worst series average Kohli has produced in Test cricket, with only his 46 runs at 9.20 in three home Tests against Australia a year ago a worse performance.

"I did not do well here (in 2014)," Kohli said recently. "I was not able to contribute to the team and I want to succeed, although not to prove a point.

"It motivates me further to come back and do better. For me it is a game of cricket. From then to now, I have shown I am strong mentally.

"England brings a lot for challenges for a batsman and I want to overcome them personally for my satisfaction at the end of my career.

"From that point of view, it is exciting for me."

No deal has been publicly confirmed but India's respected news outlet PTI quoted an unnamed BCCI official claiming there had been talks with Surrey and Essex.

"Virat 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," PTI claimed a "senior BCCI official" said.

Surrey is a south-London based county coached by former Australia batting coach Michael DiVenuto, which has signed luminaries such as Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith and Kumar Sangakkarra in recent years, and calls Test venue The Oval home.

Reports claimed Kohli would likely feature in three first-class matches for Surrey in June, when they are scheduled to play at Hampshire, Somerset and Yorkshire. Only one of those matches – the June 9-12 match against Hamsphire – would be played on a Test venue.

Kohli's determination to improve his record in the UK is now expected to see him miss the historic Test scheduled against Afghanistan on June 14 in Bengaluru.

It is not, however, to come at the expense of his Indian Premier League commitments where he will against captain Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 11th season of the lucrative T20 competition.

Kohli was retained by RCB ahead of this season's mega-auction for an eye-watering A$3.4 million, the biggest salary in the history of the competition. Kohli's INR 17 crore pay packet eclipsed the previous record held by Yuvraj Singh, who was bought by Delhi Daredevils for INR 16 crore in 2015.

India's tour of England starts with three T20 matches on July 3, followed by three ODIs ahead of the first of five Tests starting on August 1 at Edgbaston.