Kohli's injury "no serious concern", says BCCI

Indian skipper Virat Kohli winces after injuring himself in a fielding effort during the first day of the third Test match against Australia in Ranchi on Thursday.

Amid speculations that Virat Kohli would be ruled out of the ongoing Test because of a shoulder injury – some unconfirmed reports claimed he had torn a ligament - the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sent a late night communique which said the Indian captain was recovering well and had “no serious concern.”

The Board said, “The BCCI medical team confirms that Indian captain Virat Kohli is presently undergoing treatment to recuperate from a strain in his right shoulder.”

The statement added, “Relevant investigations have revealed that there are no serious concerns, which will hamper his speedy recovery from an injury due to a fall while fielding on day one at Ranchi.”

It said, “Kohli will continue to receive treatment, which will assist him to participate in the rest of the match.”

The Indian captain had hurt his right shoulder while fielding on the first day of the third Test against Australia in Ranchi and went off the field in the 40th over, leaving vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane to lead the side for the rest of the day. Kohli fell awkwardly while trying to cut off a boundary at long-on and instantly walked away while clutching his shoulder. He was seen putting on ice packs in the dressing room.

'Heavy impact'

"We took a precaution (in taking him off the field) to make sure that he doesn't aggravate the injury," India’s fielding coach R. Sridhar said. "It was quite an intense chase to the boundary line. In his intent to save that one run, he stopped the ball but landed on his right shoulder when he rolled over.

"The impact was quite heavy because of the momentum he was carrying and there was a shock on his right shoulder," he added.

Australia piled on the runs in Kohli's absence to end the day on 299 for four with skipper Steve Smith (117) and Glenn Maxwell (82) at the crease. The batting duo put on an unbeaten 159-run stand for the fifth wicket with Rahane rotating his bowling options without any success. No Australian wicket fell after Kohli left the field.

Kohli has already been off the ground for over three hours and will have to take the field for an equal amount of time before he is able to bat at his usual No. 4 position.