Neck injury rules Virat Kohli out of county stint with Surrey

IANS

India captain Virat Kohli will not appear for English county Surrey on account of a neck injury, a BCCI press release said on Thursday.

"Team India Captain Mr Virat Kohli suffered a neck injury while fielding during Match 51 of the VIVO IPL between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad on 17th May 2018 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

"Mr Kohli, who was scheduled to play for Surrey CCC in the month of June, has been ruled out from participating.

"This decision was taken following assessments by the BCCI Medical team, subsequent scans, and a specialist visit," the release said. 

"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," it further said.

Kohli was to play for Surrey in order to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of a full tour of England. The last time he toured England for a full series he had failed to negotiate the swinging conditions, especially in Test matches where fast bowler James Anderson had the better of him several times.  

Surrey would be very disappointed with this new development. The English country had really been looking forward to Kohli's arrival. 

"We are thrilled to have signed the biggest name in world cricket for the month of June.

"Playing and training alongside Virat will be a massive benefit for our players who will have the opportunity to learn so much from him.

"At a time when there is much discussion around the future of county cricket, the arrival of Virat should give our domestic game a massive boost and positive exposure around the cricketing world which in turn can benefit every county," Surrey Director of Cricket Alec Stewart had enthused earlier this month after the finalisation of the deal with the Indian star.

The tour begins in July with three T20Is, followed by three ODIs, and five Tests.