Surrey players will benefit from playing alongside Virat Kohli, says Moeen Ali

Indian captain Virat Kohli has received a divided opinion on his decision to play for Surrey in England next month. While some argue that his decision, to miss the historic Test against Afghanistan at home, and play overseas, is not acceptable, others look at it as his passion for Test cricket in an age where T20 cricket is grabbing all limelight.

During India’s last four tours of England in 2014, Kohli managed 134 runs at 13.40 in five Tests, and in order to perform better on India’s next important tour to the land of Lords, Kohli’s decision to play for Surrey highlights his determination to improve as a player.

Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, both of whom have spent the past six weeks playing under Kohli for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League’s eleventh edition, feel that Surrey and its players will benefit a lot from Kohli playing in their team.

“I know a few of the Surrey guys and they are not what people make them out to be a lot of the time. But if anyone in that dressing room does think they are a big dog, they will need to sit down for a little while because there is a proper big dog coming,” Moeen Ali was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Kohli is a humble person, says Chris Woakes

Woakes, on the other hand, was full of praises for his IPL skipper, talking about how down to earth he is, despite being looked at as someone with attitude.

“You have your perceptions of someone like Virat, who is quite passionate, emotional, in your face and plays it hard,” explains Woakes. “But off the field he’s very calm and you can chat about anything. He’s very down to earth and for someone who has such huge pressures and public focus in India, to see him go about his business in this way quite refreshing.”

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