Injury concerns in Indian camp on opening day of warm-up game

Indian squad kicked off their first warm-up game for the Test series in England, facing the County Select XI at the County Cricket Ground in Durham. Cricket fans were taken aback when they realized that the captain, Virat Kohli and vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane are not a part of the XI for this fixture. 

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has cleared the air around the duo’s unavailability. Releasing a media statement, BCCI has informed that Kohli experienced some stiffness in his back on the eve of the match and was advised by the medical team to skip this three-day game. 

Rahane, on the other hand, was reported to have swelling in his upper hamstring. He received an injection but the medical team will keep an eye on his progress. Both are expected to recover before the first Test at Trent Bridge, scheduled to begin on August 4. However, the team management would like them to recover soon as possible and get as much practice under their belt as possible. 

In Kohli’s absence, Rohit Sharma is acting as the stand-in captain for India. 

Even the opposition, County Select XI, were struggling with injuries in their camp. Due to a number of injury concerns and close contacts of a Covid-19 positive person, the County Select XI struggled to bring together a playing XI. The ECB requested the Indian management to let two players from the Indian contingent play for them. Accordingly, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan were made available for the County Select XI. Khan also got injured during the first day’s play. He received a blow on his thumb while stopping a Hanuma Vihari straight drive. He immediately signalled the Indian dressing room for treatment and went off the field. The BCCI is yet to provide an update on his injury.