Virat Kohli draws interest for stint in England despite Test retirement: 'We are interested in having that conversation'

Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket earlier this month but there's a possibility of him playing in England, thanks to interest shown by Middlesex.

Even as he continues to draw crowds in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, there’s now a possibility Virat Kohli could return to England later this year; not in India colours, but in whites for Middlesex at Lord’s. Days after Kohli shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket, Middlesex director of cricket Alan Coleman has confirmed the club’s interest in luring the Indian maestro for a potential red-ball stint at the Home of Cricket.

Virat Kohli during WTC Final in 2021 (AFP)

"Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation," Coleman told The Guardian.

Kohli, 36, retired from Test cricket over a month before India’s five-Test series in England, starting on June 20 at Headingley. He ended a red-ball career that spanned 123 matches and yielded 9230 runs. His retirement post, though, made no mention of stepping away from first-class cricket altogether, leaving the door open for a potential county stint.

As per the report, the move is being discussed in collaboration with MCC, which has previously helped Middlesex sign marquee overseas names like AB de Villiers and Kane Williamson. The idea of a Kohli-Williamson middle-order tandem is already being imagined as a dream scenario for the county’s late-season run.

The BCCI does not allow contracted players to participate in overseas T20 leagues, ruling Kohli out of the Blast and the Hundred, but a county championship stint remains possible. Many Indian players in recent past, including Cheteshwar Pujara, have played in the County Championships.

Middlesex, chasing promotion from Division Two, will return to Lord’s in September for red-ball matches against Derbyshire and Gloucestershire, with an away fixture against Lancashire also on the cards. If they manage to bring Kohli on board, the match could set up a duel between Kohli and James Anderson again.

Kohli's final months in Tests

Kohli’s final days in Test cricket had been a mix of flashes and frustration. Though he smashed a majestic hundred against Australia in Perth in the opening Test of his last series in red-ball format, it proved a lone bright spot in an otherwise lean patch – 190 runs in 10 innings that saw the once-dominant batter struggle, failing consistently against deliveries outside the off stump.

Still, Kohli departs the format as one of its most influential figures, not just for India but across the sport.