Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have informed the BCCI medical team that they are dealing with injuries that will prevent them from participating in the upcoming round of Ranji Trophy matches starting January 23.
Kohli is suffering from neck pain, for which he received an injection on January 8, following the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. Despite the treatment, he is still experiencing discomfort, which will rule him out of Delhi’s game against Saurashtra in Rajkot, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Rahul, on the other hand, is dealing with an elbow issue that will keep him sidelined for Karnataka’s match against Punjab in Bengaluru, the report added.
On Thursday, the BCCI issued a detailed set of guidelines for players, including mandatory participation in domestic cricket. Any player unable to play must seek permission from the national chairman of selectors.
Although both Kohli and Rahul will miss this round, they could still feature in the final round of the group phase, which begins on January 30.
However, these matches conclude just before the ODI series against England starts on February 6. Both players are in contention for spots in the ODI squad and the Champions Trophy, with team selections for both tournaments set to be announced on Saturday.
Other regular Test players, including Rishabh Pant (Delhi), Shubman Gill (Punjab), and Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra), will participate in the next round of Ranji Trophy matches.
India Test captain Rohit Sharma also trained with Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad at Wankhede Stadium earlier this week. Rohit’s participation in Mumbai’s upcoming Ranji game remains uncertain. However, his decision to train with the team, in consultation with head coach Omkar Salvi, indicates a potential availability for at least one of the two remaining fixtures.
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