India confident captain fill be fit for tour of Ireland and England despite suffering a neck injury
Injured Kohli ruled out of Surrey stint
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.
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.
"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," a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India read.
"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 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.
"It’s hugely disappointing that Virat won’t be joining Surrey for the month of June but we understand injuries happen and we have to respect the decision of the BCCI medical team to pull him from his stint with us," Surrey Director of Cricket Alex Stewart said on Thursday.
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.