Virat Kohli’s stint in county cricket is under a cloud, with a newspaper in India reporting that the India captain had been advised against aggravating a back injury.
According to a report in Mumbai Mirror on Thursday 24 May, Kohli was diagnosed with a slipped disc. And while it doesn’t require him to undergo surgery, the doctors reportedly told him that further strain to it could result in him missing out on the England Tests.
Kohli had been set to play for Surrey in the County Championship as part of his preparations for the five-Test series against England later in the summer. He is keen to get used to the conditions in England and improve on his average of 13.40 across 10 innings on his only previous Test tour of the region in 2014.
His commitment had meant he would miss out on leading India in Afghanistan’s maiden Test in Bengaluru from 14 June.
Neither the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Surrey nor Kohli have made an official statement yet on his immediate future.
It is also unclear what prompted Kohli to seek out medical advice. He had featured in all matches of the Indian Premier League before his side Royal Challengers Bangalore failed to make it past the league stage.
He had a fair season with the bat for Bangalore, finishing on 530 runs at an average of 48.18 and a strike rate of 139.1, putting him sixth on the list of run-scorers before the final two matches of the tournament.
India travel to England for three T20Is and three ODIs in July before the first Test at Edgbaston on 1 August.
