India were forced to deny that their opening batsman Virender Sehwag wants to quit their tour of England because of a long-standing shoulder injury.

Reports in India had suggested Sehwag wanted to fly home only a fortnight after arriving in the country ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, where he made a king pair. Sehwag was spotted in conversation on the Oval outfield on Thursday morning before the toss with India coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

But India’s tour manager Anirudh Chaudhry responded to the claim by saying: ‘The reports are absolutely incorrect.’ Sehwag’s loss would be a particular blow ahead of the five-match one-day series, but it is understood he has not informed the BCCI of his desire to quit the tour.

Meanwhile, England batting coach Graham Gooch has said he would be delighted if Andrew Strauss or Alastair Cook surpass the former England opener’s tally of 20 Test hundreds. Both men, who resume on Friday the 30s, need one more century to draw level with Gooch, who is England’s leading run scorer in Tests with 8,900. ‘It won’t be long before someone overtakes me,’ he said. ‘But I’m only interested in England winning matches.’