Virat Kohli ordered to play county cricket; Ajit Agarkar told to drop him if form worsens

Veteran cricketer Virat Kohli has been advised to follow the path of Cheteshwar Pujara to regain some crucial red-ball form ahead of India's Test series in England. Kohli received this piece of advice from former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.

Manjrekar wants Kohli to play a few matches in County Championship which will help him gain some form before the crucial series against England. India will travel to England for a five-match Test series starting in June.

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Virat Kohli advised to follow Cheteshwar Pujara's path

While speaking on Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar felt the need for red-ball cricket for Virat Kohli after his poor recent form in the longest format. Manjrekar called Kohli to play county cricket in England just like Cheteshwar Pujara had before.

"(Virat) Kohli needs to play a lot of red-ball cricket. The first Test in England is in June, while the County Championship begins in April. He could join a county team, as (Cheteshwar) Pujara did, and gain valuable match practice," Manjrekar spoke on the Deep Point podcast.

Cheteshwar Pujara has a good amount of experience playing for Sussex in the County championship. He has played some match-winning knocks for the team in both the red-ball and 50-over format.

Pujara also has the experience to lead Sussex. However, Kohli hasn't played County Cricket so far. The 36-year-old has been facing criticism recently for the lack of first-class cricket under his belt which has led to his slump in Test cricket.

"Playing county cricket could be a very sensible move" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that India cannot afford another poor Test series for Virat Kohli now. He feels that India can evaluate his performances in the initial Tests against England before deciding on his future.

"India can then evaluate his performances in the initial Test matches. If there are positive signs, he can continue. But the last thing you want is Kohli going there and struggling, as we've seen before. That wouldn't be good for Indian cricket. Playing county cricket could be a very sensible move for him," Manjrekar noted.

Apart from Sanjay Manjrekar, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar backed Kohli to return to form soon. Bangar hailed his fitness and believes that he still has a lot to offer in international cricket.

Virat Kohli's poor red-ball form

Virat Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of just 23.75 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was constantly troubled by the balls moving away outside off stump and was dismissed off his outside edge behind the wickets on all eight occasions.

Kohli came into the series on the back of poor form in the home series against New Zealand where he scored 93 runs in three Tests at an average of 15.50. He was repeatedly troubled by spin during this series.

The upcoming Champions Trophy will be very crucial for Virat Kohli and it can even determine his future. The 36-year-old will be aiming to regain some form in his most favored format.