Virat Kohli not in favour of new 100-ball cricketing format

The ECB's new eight-team tournament is set to begin in 2020 and sees each side facing 15 six-ball overs, culminating in final 10 deliveries.

While England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is chalking out a new 100-ball cricketing format, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has ruled out his participation citing that he didn’t want to be a part of any experiment.

He feels that cricket is losing out on quality because of the "commercial aspects" which are taking over the game. Kohli, who leads India across all three formats and also plays the IPL, stated that newer formats will only make for a very exhaustive schedule.

 "I'm already very, I wouldn't say frustrated, but sometimes it can get very demanding of you when you have to play so much of cricket regularly. I feel somewhere the commercial aspect is taking over the real quality of cricket and that hurts me," Kohli told the 'Wisden Cricket Monthly' today.

The ECB's new eight-team tournament is set to begin in 2020 and sees each side facing 15 six-ball overs, culminating in final 10 deliveries.

"Obviously for the people involved (ECB) in the whole process and the set-up it will be really exciting but I cannot think of one more format, to be honest," Kohli said.

"Honestly, I don't want to be a testing sort of a cricketer for any new format. I don't want to be someone who's going to be part of that World XI who comes and launches the 100-ball format."

Kohli also explained the difference between leagues like IPL or Big Bash League from the proposed 100-ball format.

"I love playing the IPL, I love watching the BBL because you are working towards something, competing against high-quality sides and it gets your competitive juices flowing. That's what you want as a cricketer. I am all for the leagues, but not to experiment."

Kohli, who missed out on his much-hyped county stint with Surrey due to an injury, however, said that he would love to play first-class cricket in England.

"County cricket always intrigued me. Unfortunately, it couldn't happen this time but I would love to come again in future," he said.

"I have heard so much from so many players over so many years that it has really helped them understand their games even better. Also just to understand how professional the set-up over here is, how the longest format of the game is looked at with so much respect."