Indian cricketers are actively choosing the English country path with the Tier 2 Visa UK (Sportsperson), following the footsteps of greats like Sachin Tendulkar, who considers his stint with Yorkshire way back in 94 as some of his best cricketing days. Cheteshwar Pujara will be showing up for Yorkshire as well while lanky pacer Ishant Sharma will be playing for Durham.

India Captain Virat Kohli is the latest of all the Indian legends to take the English County Cricket experience. He is set to play County instead of the Afghanistan Test in order to prepare for the upcoming Test series in England from August, although it is yet to be ascertained which county team he will represent. Word on the streets is that it’s going to be Surrey.

“Virat will be playing for a division one county side for sure. I wouldn’t like to add anything more to it. There were talks with Surrey and Essex,” according to a senior BCCI official.

It is apparent that Kohli’s main focus will be on the 5-test series against England and he is willing to miss the one-off Test match against Afghanistan in order to maintain this focus. He is scheduled to leave for England after fulfilling his contract for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming 11th Edition of the IPL.

The Tier 2 Visa UK is a boon for sportspeople across the world, especially for Indian cricketers looking for a vintage experience of classic cricket in the land where cricket was born.

Legendary Indian skipper Kapil Dev has voiced his approval of Virat Kohli’s plan. According to him, “India Captain Virat Kohli would benefit from a stint in the county championship.”

If you are a budding young sportsperson, looking for professional experience in the UK, you can follow in the footsteps of great Indian cricket legends too by opting to play for English County cricket.

Of course, there are legal procedures to be followed regarding the Visas and immigration (Tier 2 Visa UK to be specific) but these issues are easy to tackle should you approach a professional UK immigration law firm for guidance.

The SmartMove2UK is one such immigration law firm anyone looking to move (or visit) the UK can count on.

If you have any comment or want to know anything about the UK Tier 2 Sportsperson Visa then you can call our immigration expert in India – Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore or you can also connect with us on

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