County stint will help Kohli – Dev

INDIA captain Virat Kohli would benefit from a stint in the county championship before this year’s test series against England, former skipper Kapil Dev has said.

The five-match contest between the two sides begins in August and India will be hoping to improve their performance on English soil, having recorded just three test victories since 1986.

Dev, who lifted the World Cup as skipper in 1983, said Kohli was among the world’s elite batsmen who must get runs everywhere.

“One has to practise those conditions,” Dev said.

“The bar which we as cricketers set for these people is that you have to be good in all conditions.”

During India’s last test series in England four years ago, Kohli averaged a disappointing 13.40.