Premier Indian batsman Virat Kohli was practicing at the nets in Durham. He was advised to recover from a back niggle before playing so Kohli had to miss out on the first-class match against County Select XI.

The Indian captain was expected to play in the match to get into the groove. However, a slight niggle prior to the game meant he sat out for the practice game. Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy in his stead.

Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane also suffered an injury, a swelling in his hamstring. Hanuma Vihari and KL Rahul took the respective spots on the team. The latter even made the most of it scoring a century.

After recovering from the niggle, Virat Kohli arrived at the nets in Durham during lunch break in the practice match. He played for as long as thirty minutes. The session included a sequence where the throw-down specialists bowled pace and spin alternatively. Kohli looked comfortable and will be raring to go in the intra-squad practice match that starts on July 28. The entire team will compete in the match, with no injury concerns as of now.

Watch the net session here:

Hi @imVkohli! 👋

A lunch time net session for the @BCCI captain at Emirates Riverside. 🇮🇳

Live stream ➡️https://t.co/vxbhwkBUGh pic.twitter.com/6puTlr7zO4

— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) July 21, 2021

England announce squad for the first two Tests against Virat Kohli’s men

We've named a 17-player squad for the opening two Tests of the LV= Insurance Test Series against India.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 21, 2021

Earlier in the day, England and Wales Cricket Board announced a 17-member squad to take on Team India in the first two Tests. Ollie Robinson and Ben Stokes will make a comeback after the former served his suspension for old offensive tweets. Notable absentees against Virat Kohli and co. are Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes.

While Archer is still recovering from his persistent elbow injury, Woakes’ exclusion turned heads. Speculations began whether he was the one who contracted covid-19 after the series against Sri Lanka. He was also missing in the white-ball series against Pakistan that concluded recently. Haseeb Hameed, who is currently engaged in the three-day practice match for County XI, is also part of the squad.

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