India vs Australia | Back injury is nothing new to me, reveals Virat Kohli

As India gear up for a gritty series finale at the Sydney Cricket Ground, visiting captain Virat Kohli has played down any concerns surrounding his fitness in the recent pre-match press conference. The 30-year old admitted that the excessive workload of modern day cricket is bound to have some consequence on cricketers in one way or another.

“I’ve had disc issues since 2011, it’s nothing new. I’ve been able to manage it because of the physical effort I’ve put in over the past few years. And when you have a back that has these disc issues you can only maintain it that way,” Kohli revealed, reported Scroll.

The Indian captain has a history of back problems and was also forced off the field during the second Test in England earlier this year. In December last year, Kohli had also received treatment from the physio on Day two of the Melbourne Test just before he was dismissed while batting at 82.

“If the workload gets high it can get into a spasm, I mean you don’t necessarily get serious issues, you get fine in two or three days.

“I’m not too concerned with it, you just have to manage it physically and stay ahead of the injury and I have been able to do it for now. I’m sure I’ll find other ways and more options to keep countering that. I mean, it’s inhuman, impossible to keep going on without niggles and I think it’s fine to have a few niggles here and there. You just need to be able to manage it,” Kohli added.

India would head into the final fixture of the Test series with full confidence having attained a 2-1 lead and will hope to seal their first series win on Australian soil in the coming week and start the new year on a high.