Virat Kohli scan could decide Australia series

India's captain Virat Kohli. Photo / AP

India skipper Virat Kohli has been sent for scans on his injured shoulder, with the hosts sweating on the prospect of losing their most potent batsman for the rest of the third test.

The top-ranked test side were dealt a serious injury scare in Ranchi on Thursday, when Kohli hurt his throwing arm and spent most of the first day in the changerooms.

Kohli dived to stop a boundary in the 40th over and jammed his shoulder against the hard ground. He came off early in the post-lunch session and never returned, instead sitting in the rooms with ice on his shoulder.

"He is going to undergo some scans later today and we'll know the exact status of it tomorrow morning," India's fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar said of Kohli's setback.

"We took a precaution and made sure he doesn't aggravate that injury."

Kohli is yet to fire a shot with the bat in the series, having managed scores of zero and 13 in Pune then 12 and 15 in Bangalore.

But he remains the player most capable of halting Australia's momentum in the match and would be sorely missed if he is sidelined.

Regardless of how serious the injury is, there is every chance Kohli will not be able to bat in his preferred No.4 position in India's first innings.

"They've got to get him right, so he's able to bat and make runs. That has to be their priority," Michael Clarke said on Star Sports.

Brett Lee, sitting alongside Clarke, suggested India lost momentum the second Kohli walked off the ground alongside India's physio Patrick Farhat.

Ajinkya Rahane led the side in the absence of Kohli. The vice-captain struggled to come up with fresh ideas to break a stubborn partnership between Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.

Instead of barking orders to fielders in the fashion of Kohli, Rahane engaged in a lot more conferencing with senior players.

"It's two different captains, so Kohli and Rahane probably do things differently," Australia opener Matt Renshaw said.

"But I didn't notice anything different."

Sridhar had no issues with Kohli's diving technique - or the superstar for putting his body on the line.

"It was quite an intense chase to the boundary line and... impact was quite heavy from the momentum he was carrying, so there was a shock on his right shoulder," he said.