Kohli Playing County Cricket Is Nonsense,’ Feels England Legend Bob Willis

London :Former England pacer Bob Willis has called the decision to allow Indian captain Virat Kohli to play county cricket as ‘nonsense’.
Willis expressed his displeasure over foreigners plying their trade in county cricket, saying it hampers the growth of local players.
“I can’t stand overseas players in county cricket. It doesn’t benefit the players stranded in the second XI year on year and the youngsters,” he said.
The fiery fast bowler criticised Surrey’s decision, “They’re going to pay Kohli, presumably, five figures a match so he can hone his skills in English conditions before a Test series. It’s nonsense,” he added.
“He should be made to suffer and average 30 in England as he has done before. We don’t want England starting to lose Test matches at home because we’re accommodating all of these visiting players,” the 68-year-old added.
India visit England for a full series starting with the limited-overs leg comprising 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and then 5 Tests. Just before that, India play T20 matches in Ireland, which will be held after the home Test against Afghanistan gets over on June 18.
Despite being a world conqueror, Kohli has struggled to establish his dominance in England. With just 134 runs in five Test matches and average of 13.40, the tour offers an opportunity to Kohli to achieve the numero uno spot and rise above the likes of Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith.
Along with Kohli, Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma along with Varun Aaron are other Indians who will be plying their trade in county cricket this year.