India’s Kohli sets sight on county cricket before England tour

28-year-old says he would love to be there month beforehand to acclimatise to playing conditions

Indian Test captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday said that he hoped to play county cricket before India's next tour of England and try to improve on his poor showing during the team's last visit.

The 28-year-old has hit 640 runs during the first four Tests against England with an astonishing average of 128.

England's James Anderson said India's dry pitches covered up "flaws" in Kohli's technique, prompting an outraged response from spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who confronted the fast bowler during the fourth Test in Mumbai.

But when asked, ahead of the fifth and final Test in Chennai if he would like to play county cricket in England, Kohli said: "If I have a chance I would love to do that.

"I would love to be there a month or month-and-a-half beforehand getting used to playing in the conditions, understand what the wickets play like in that phase of the year."

Kohli's series-leading total of runs has led India to an emphatic 3-0 victory over England with one Test still to come, avenging two consecutive series defeats to the visitors.

He said he was trying to work out how to fit in a county stint before India's tour in 2018, while still playing the lucrative April-May Indian Premier League.

"I have actually been thinking about it and try to work out how I can make that happen. Most definitely if I have time I would love to," he concluded.