"Virat Kohli Not A Machine But A Human Being": Ravi Shastri On Surrey Pullout

Virat Kohli will not be playing for English county team Surrey in June due to a neck injury. The news of his pullout was met with a lot of disappointment by not just the county side but also fans in England. Speaking on the situation, India coach Ravi Shastri said that the Indian captain was "not a machine but a human being" and it wasn't just a case of using some rocket fuel to get him to the ground. Kohli injured his neck during Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL 2018 match against SunRisers Hyderabad on May 17, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed in a statement.

"(He had to skip the county stint) because he is not a top dog," India coach Ravi Shastri told Mirror. "He is not a machine but a human being. It is not a case of putting rocket fuel up his backside and getting him on the park. Even a top dog can't be given rocket fuel up his backside," Shastri was quoted as saying by the Mumbai Mirror.

The Indian run-machine will have a fitness Test on June 15, and is expected to be fit for India's tours of Ireland and England.

Kohli's county stint was being seen as an ideal preparation for the Indian captain ahead of the all-important series against hosts England.

The Indian captain will also miss the one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on June 14. There is no confirmation on whether or not Kohli will play the two T20 Internationals against Ireland, scheduled to be held ahead of the England tour.

"Team India Captain Mr Virat Kohli suffered a neck injury while fielding during Match 51 of the VIVO IPL between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad on 17th May 2018 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru," the BCCI said in a statement.

"Mr Kohli, who was scheduled to play for Surrey CCC in the month of June, has been ruled out from participating. This decision was taken following assessments by the BCCI Medical team, subsequent scans, and a specialist visit. The Team India captain will now undergo a period of rehabilitation under the supervision of the BCCI Medical team."

"He will begin training and subsequently undergo a fitness test at the NCA in Bengaluru from June 15. The BCCI Medical Team is confident that Mr Kohli will regain full fitness ahead of India's upcoming tours to Ireland and England," the statement added.