Kohli will leave for county matches after Indian Premier League 2018 concludes. India will begin the tour of England on July 3.
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli is picking county cricket over Test match against Afghanistan, reports PTI.
Looking to improve his batting furthermore ahead of the away season of Team India, Kohli reportedly will make himself available to join Surrey team, in the process being the first Indian to join this particular county side.
"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," said a senior BCCI official.
Kohli will play three matches for Surrey against Hampshire, Somerset, and Yorkshire from June 9 to June 28.
Indian skipper has played five Tests in England and at an average of 13.4 has managed to score only 134 runs in total.
Kohli is not the only Indian cricketer looking to better his Test performance. Cheteshwar Pujara, who remained unsold in the recently concluded IPL auctions, will play in upcoming county season for Yorkshire starting April 7.
The BCCI is putting in a lot of effort for the upcoming Test series and want more and more players to get accustomed to English conditions.
It is also learnt that some of the senior India players will also turn up for India A in England in their bid to prepare for the tour.
The likes of Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane are also expected to prop up their preparations.
Indian Test cricket legend VVS Laxman has hailed Kohli's decision to play county matches. Wishing the skipper good luck, Laxman commended Kohli's drive to achieve excellence.
In a tweet he said, "Virat Kohli 's decision to play county cricket before the England series shows his drive and commitment to achieve excellence. I am sure not only him,but Team India will do exceedingly well in the England series. Best wishes!"
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle wasn't far behind. He too tweeted, "Virat Kohli has made a strong statement of intent about the England tour where he has unfinished business by opting to play county cricket. In doing so, has also prioritised opposition by missing the test against Afghanistan."
Team India will tour England starting July 3. Men in Blue will play three T20Is, three ODIs, and five Test matches.
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