NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli has been ruled out of playing for English county side Surrey next month, but India are confident he will be fit for their upcoming tours of England and Ireland, reported Cricket.com.au.
It’s been revealed that Kohli suffered a neck injury during the IPL and will remain in India to undergo a period of rehabilitation before having a fitness test in Bengaluru on June 15.
The 29-year-old, who has one of the most intensive playing schedules in cricket and in January married Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, signed up to play for Surrey in the English county championship for June before India start a tour of England in July.
The Mumbai Mirror said Kohli saw an orthopaedic surgeon on Wednesday who told him there was damage to spinal nerves and that he may have to miss part of the India tour if the injury worsened.
Kohli missed a one-day international during a recent tour of South Africa because of a strained neck.
Kohli was not available for comment and the BCCI made no immediate public statement.
“This decision was taken following assessments by the BCCI Medical team, subsequent scans, and a specialist visit.
“The Team India captain will now undergo a period of rehabilitation under the supervision of the BCCI Medical team.
“He will begin training and subsequently undergo a fitness test at the NCA in Bengaluru from June 15. The BCCI Medical Team is confident that Mr Kohli will regain full fitness ahead of India’s upcoming tours to Ireland and England.”
Kohli announced earlier this month that he’d signed a short-term deal with Surrey in order to prepare for India’s blockbuster five-Test series against England later this year.
In announcing the Surrey deal, Kohli confirmed that he will miss India’s historic Test against Afghanistan, starting on June 14.
Kohli averages more than 50 in all three formats of the game for India and is ranked as the top one-day batsman in the world.
However, he averages just 13.40 in his five previous Test appearances in England. His ODI average of 32 is also significantly lower that his overall tally of 58.