Virat Kohli and family reportedly set to move to London: 5 Indian cricketers who settled abroad

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli is reportedly leaving India soon to settle in London along with his family. Since the last few months, there were rumors of him shifting his base to the UK.

However, the recent comments from his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has cleared the confusion regarding the matter. Here's what he said (via Dainik Jagran):

"Yes, Virat plans to move to London with his children and wife, Anushka Sharma. He is going to be leaving India and shifting very soon. However, right now, Kohli is spending most of his time with his family apart from cricket."

Over the years, there have been notable Indian cricketers who migrated to foreign countries in search of green pastures. Some moved abroad in search of better employment opportunities or wanted a quality life for their children. A few of them also looked to extend their cricketing careers in another country.

On that note, let's take a look at a few cricketers who settled abroad after playing for India.

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#1 Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa made his India debut in 2006 and went on to play 46 ODI and 13 T20Is, while scoring 1,183 runs. The right-handed batter played 205 IPL games and amassed 4,952 runs, with 27 fifties. He won two IPL titles (KKR in 2014 and CSK in 2022).

He retired from all forms of cricket in 2022 and often serves as an analyst for production houses. The 39-year-old is often seen playing in leagues, which are dedicated to the former cricketers.

However, Uthappa decided to shift to Dubai from Bengaluru. In particular, he suffered from frequent traffic jams in the city and wanted a quality education for his children.

In an interview with City Times in June 2024, Uthappa said (via Khaleej Times):

"It was more from the kids’ perspective. We wanted a really solid primary education and knowing how good Dubai is as far as education is concerned and also the safety, not just for kids, but also for women. Also, since I am playing leagues outside of India, it makes more sense to live here."

"It’s been 15-16 months now here in Dubai. And they are loving it. I think it was the best decision we made as far as our family is concerned," he added.

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#2 Farokh Engineer

Former wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer played for India from 1961 to 1975. He garnered 2,725 runs in 51 international games, with 69 catches and 17 stumpings.

However, during his international career, Engineer was awarded a contract to play for the English club, Lancashire. He reportedly accepted the offer and represented the side until 1976, while the crowd traveled from long distances to watch him play.

After retirement, he decided to shift to Manchester with his wife Julie, who also was from the same region. He then started a textile business and settled in Cheshire.

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#3 Rusi Surti

Rusi Surti made his India debut in 1960 against Pakistan at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. He had a start-stop India career, which eventually culminated in 1969. In 26 Tests, Surti scored 1,263 runs, with nine fifties and two centuries. He also was a fine left-arm pacer, picking up 42 wickets.

Surti received an offer from Queensland in the latter part of his career, and he became the first Indian to play in Sheffield Shield. He represented the side on 35 occasions and retired in 1972. He then ran a private coaching clinic in Brisbane and settled down there.

Unfortunately, Surti died in January 2013 in Mumbai following a brief illness.

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#4 Budhi Kunderan

Keeper-batter Budhi Kunderan received a surprise India call-up after chief selector Lala Amarnath was impressed by his batting prowess for Railways. Making his debut in January 1960 against Australia, Kunderan scored 981 runs in 18 Tests, with two centuries.

After getting dropped in 1967, Kunderan signed a contract with Drumpellier, a Scottish club and he migrated to Glasgow in 1970. He then went on to play for the club until the 1975-76 season. He succumbed to lung cancer at an age of 66 and died in Scotland in 2006.

Interestingly, Kunderan's impressive knock of 192 remained the top-score by Indian keeper in Tests, before MS Dhoni slammed 224 in 2013.

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#5 Unmukt Chand

Unmukt Chand showed great promise after leading the Indian team to a title victory in the 2012 U19 World Cup. He was India's finest batter with 246 runs, while slamming 111* in a tense chase in the final against Australia.

Chand went on to make his IPL debut at an age of 18 years and was a regular feature of the India A side. However, his batting form didn't took off as he expected and his last IPL appearance came in 2016. As a result, he decided to retire from Indian cricket and shifted to USA.

Currently, Chand is plying his club cricket in the USA and also taking part in different franchise leagues.