India Test captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane missed the three-day practice against County Select XI in Chester-le-Street due to stiffness and swelling in the left hamstring respectively.
The availability of the senior pair is unlikely to be hampered for the first Test against England, starting August 4 at Trent Bridge.
In Kohli's absence, Rohit Sharma led the Indians in the practice match, which is classified as a first-class game. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media release that Kohli, who was on the field, "felt some stiffness in his back late Monday evening" and hence the board's medical team asked him to take rest. However, the Indian team management will be more concerned about Rahane's fitness as the first Test is almost two weeks away.
According to Shah, Rahane was also being "monitored" after he reported "mild swelling around his left upper hamstring", which has been "addressed by an injection." Shah, however, said that Rahane is expected to make a full recovery in time for the first Test.
Concerns in the Indian camp will only increase after pacer Avesh Khan was sent for scans in the afternoon session after he suffered a left thumb injury. Khan, along with all-rounder Washington Sundar, was allowed to appear for the County Select XI by the Indian team management after the pair of James Bracey and Zak Chappell were unavailable for different reasons. Bracey, as reported on Monday, was identified as a contact with a Covid-19 positive case and had to be dropped from the team, while Chappell suffered an injury on Tuesday morning.
Khan, who was selected for the tour as a reserve bowler, hurt his thumb after successfully stopping a punch straight drive from Hanuma Vihari. He immediately signaled to the Indian dressing room to walk off the field with a tied thumb, accompanied by the physio, winning from pain.