A stiff back forced India captain Virat Kohli to not take the field on the fourth morning at Lord’s. It is understood he will come out to bat, which might mean the niggle is not too serious. But he will have to wait 37 minutes before he can bat in India’s second innings, as per regulations, given his long absence from the field.
Even on day two, Kohli had been absent from the field for a long time during the final two sessions of play. Kohli returned eventually, but his discomfort was evident in his walk and body language. On the fourth morning, he did not do any warm-up stretches and when play started he was in training gear and not his Test whites.
India would definitely want Kohli to be available and fit enough to bat, keeping in mind the challenge of batting in conditions that are likely to be overcast in what will be a long, tough bid to save this Test over today and tomorrow. Kohli has been India’s best batsman so far, with 223 runs in three innings including a century and 50 at Edgbaston. No other Indian batsman has even got a 50 so far.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo