Virat Kohli will play County Cricket. That’s what the reports suggest. In a bid to revive his Test career, the former Indian captain will, for the first time in his career, play red-ball cricket outside of India. Of course, it makes sense as the India cricket team’s next Test series is against England in England.
Virat Kohli’s Test record since 2019
Kohli’s struggles are for everyone to see. His numbers in the last five years in Test cricket are incredibly poor. The recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 shows the same. In the 5-match series, he scored 100 runs in one innings and 90 runs in the remaining eight innings.
| Innings | Runs | Average | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 2636 | 35.1 | 11 | 5 |
Gambhir wants Kohli to play Ranji
There are doubts over his place in the Test side. People are calling for the former Test skipper’s removal. Calls from him playing the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 are already there. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir wants that. To ensure he remains a constant in the Test team and prepares for the India vs England Test series, playing County Cricket seems like a fine idea.
Only way Kohli can play County Cricket
But there’s a slight issue. Well, it’s quite a big one. There isn’t a way possible that Kohli can actually play in the County Championship 2025 unless he leaves the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hanging and skips the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
Virat Kohli to chose RCB & IPL over Test career?
Safe to say, that’s a big reason, and there isn’t a way that’s happening. You see, the County Championship 2025, both first and second division, kicks off on April 4. About twenty days prior, the IPL 2025 will start (tentatively March 14). So, unless Kohli leaves RCB for a team like Surrey or Essex, there isn’t a way he can play in the league.
Now, the IPL ends on May 25. So, some may say play County Cricket afterward. That can’t happen either. Just like the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, there will be a nearly month-long gap between matches in the County Championship 2025. The first leg runs from April 4 to May 26, and then the second leg starts from June 22.
For the uninformed, the India vs. England Test series will begin on June 20 at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds. So, there isn’t a way possible for Virat Kohli to play County Cricket and IPL both. Now ask yourself, will he leave RCB? Moreover, will the BCCI want to send their biggest star away?
IPL 2025 and County Cricket timeline
- IPL starts on March 14
- County first leg from April 4 to May 26
- IPL ends on May 25
- County second leg from June 22 to September 27
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