File image of Virat Kohli
The shocking news of Virat Kohli's neck injury has put a big question mark over his participation in upcoming India's tour of England. Kohli was scheduled to play for English County side Surrey next month to prepare himself for the England tour. However, on Thursday, the Indian captain was ruled out from participating in English County Championship due to a neck injury, suffered during the 11th edition of IPL, that has severely impacted his planning for the tour of UK later in June.
According to a BCCI press release, Kohli will require a three-week rehabilitation to recover from the injury. The 29-year-old will undergo a fitness test on June 15, which will confirm his availability for the initial phase of the UK limited-overs tour starting with the two T20 Internationals against Ireland in on June 27 and 29.
Expressing his concern over Kohli's injury, IndiaTV cricket expert Virender Sehwag said it would be really difficult for Team India to win a series in England without their regular captain.
"The injury can be really serious but the medical experts have to check how severe is the impact on Kohli's body," Sehwag said during "Cricket Ki Baat" show.
"However, if it's a neck injury, it can be recovered on time. But Kohli needs to take care of his body as he is not young anymore and is around 29-30. He needs to reassess his workout regime and take precautionary measures which is very important to recover well from the injury," the former India opener added.
Speaking about India's chances of winning in England without Kohli, Sehwag said, "It will not be a great news for Indian team if Virat Kohli's injury is a serious one keeping the upcoming England tour in mind. If he misses the England tour, it will be difficult for Team India to register a series win against hosts."
With an average of 50+ in all three formats of the game, the Delhi-born cricketer is India's leading batsman and is India's biggest bet in the gentlemen's game.
"Without Kohli, the Indian team misses that spark which is required to beat big teams. Captain Kohli is a pillar of strength for Team India, he remains aggressive as a player and as a batsman and also motivates the players to give their best performance on the field.
Sehwag also gave a reference of India's tour of South Africa in the beginning of the year where India made a memorable comeback after losing the first two Tests to beat Proteas in the third and final Test in Johannesburg.
"Despite two consecutive losses in South Africa, it was Kohli who inspired the Indian team to register a historic win in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa."
"It is the job of trainers and physios to manage the workload of players in a proper manner. They need to carefully monitor the workout regime of players and provide them proper guidance about the same," Sehwag signed off.
