Virender Sehwag had an injury scare on the fourth day of the Test against England as he stayed off the field for the major part of the England's second innings due to back spasms.

Irfan Pathan came out to open with Wasim Jaffer during India's second innings.

Sehwag was off the field during most of the fourth morning's play in the third and final Test and even this morning came on only briefly before being substituted by VVS Laxman and then Mohammad Kaif.

"He has been off the field because of back spasm," BCCI's Media Committee member Milind Rege said.

India was forced to open with a different pair as the laws of the game require a player to spend the same amount of time on the field as he is off it, or his team's innings should have lasted the same number of minutes before he comes out to bat.

Sehwag could not open the innings for the same reason in the second Test against Pakistan at Faisalabad because he had to be off the field after a bout of food poisoning.

VVS Laxman had opened the innings then with skipper Rahul Dravid.