India vs South Africa 2021-22: Virat Kohli practices via Rahul Dravid's throwdowns amidst upper back spasm

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli missed out on the second Test of the Freedom Series 2021-22 against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. He has suffered upper back spasms but is expected to be fit for the final Test to be played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town from Tuesday. However, he has been begun light training.

During Day 3's play on Wednesday, Kohli was seen practising at the nets, as he received throwdowns from head coach Rahul Dravid. The skipper did some mild stretching upon entering the ground before starting the day's play. However, Dravid was soft with his throwdowns, as Kohli refrained from indulging in any hard practice session, indicating that he has not fully recovered yet.

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Besides Dravid, Kohli also faced deliveries from some Indian bowlers, including pacer Shardul Thakur. Clarifying Kohli's fitness and reason for missing out on the Wanderers Test, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had stated on Monday, "Virat Kohli had a spasm on his upper back, and he won't feature in the second Test against South Africa at The Wanderers. The BCCI medical team will be monitoring him during the course of this Test match."

The Wanderers Test was slated to be Kohli's 99th in the format. However, it seems like he might have to play the same in Cape Town. Moreover, as per the schedule, he could play his 100th Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from February 25. It will be a kind of homecoming for Kohli, as the venue happens to be the home ground of his longstanding Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).