Virat Kohli was set to play county cricket for Surrey. (File)
Ahead of the crucial England series, Indian skipper Virat Kohli was scheduled to play county cricket for Surrey, as a way for him to practice in the tough conditions. The 29-year was set to miss the one-off historic Test against Afghanistan, and the first T20I against Ireland, to play for Surrey in June. But as per the recent reports, Kohli is likely to miss the county stint due to medical reasons.
According to a report by Mumbai Mirror, a leading orthopaedic surgeon from a Mumbai hospital has diagnosed that the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper is suffering from a slipped disc (herniated disc) and fatigue, and will aggravate the injury before the Test series in England if he plays for Surrey next month.
The report adds that Kohli visited a hospital in Khar on Wednesday afternoon, where the surgeon and his team informed him about the reports, which suggested that he might have sustained some damage to the spinal nerves, but they added that the batsman does not need a surgery at this stage. The doctors reportedly warned the batsman that if he does not take rest, he might miss out a few games in the England tour.
Speaking on the reports, a senior BCCI official denied that Kohli is suffering from slip disc and said it is a case of “neck sprain”. “Yes, Virat has had fatigue issues and this is a case of workload management rather than injury management. But it isn’t a case of slip disc. As of now, we will be monitoring his workload,” the official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The official further added that the board is planning to curtail Kohli’s involvement next month during his county stint. “We are chalking a plan wherein his county stint will be curtailed. He will play two four-day matches as per the original plan and not the five Royal London Cup (50 over) matches,” he further said.
On being questioned about his visit to the hospital in Khar, the official said, “Virat had suffered a neck sprain during an IPL match in Jaipur (RCB’s final game). The pain had subsided but he went for a precautionary check-up.”
Kohli has played regular cricket in the past 12 months, and he recently complained about extensive workload. In March, the right-hand batsman said that he is experiencing physical niggles and the workload has taken a toll on his body. “Physically I had a few niggles, I am just getting over those. The workload has started to disagree (taking a toll) with me a little bit. I have to be very careful about how I go forward with my body, my mind, my cricket,” he said after while was rested for the Nidahas T20I trophy.