Kohli to play for India 'A' against Australia 'A'

To prepare himself for the upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, India's Test captain Virat Kohli will represent the country's 'A' side against Australia 'A' in the second unofficial four-day match starting from July 29 in Chennai.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur announced here on Thursday that the ace batsman has requested the board that he be allowed to play in Chennai, where playing conditions are similar to those in Sri Lanka. Thakur said the board agreed to Kohli'is request.

Kohli, who was one among the several seniors rested for the three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against hosts Zimbabwe earlier this month, will lead the Test team against Sri Lanka.

The first Test starts on August 12 at Galle followed by two matches in Colombo.

The 26-year-old has been India's batting mainstay since 2012, scoring 2,561 runs in 34 matches with an average of 45.73, hitting 10 centuries.

The right-hander was given captaincy after Mahendra Singh Dhoni quit the longer version of the game in December last.