Will Virat Kohli play 2nd ODI vs England? Check update on Indian batting maestro's knee injury
Just before the first ODI began on Thursday, Virat Kohli was spotted in Nagpur attempting to demonstrate his fitness.
At the toss, Rohit Sharma revealed that Kohli would not be playing in the first ODI, stating that the star batter was dealing with a sore right knee. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was making his ODI debut with Harshit Rana, took Kohli's place in the squad.
Kohli tried jogging despite having his knee heavily wrapped, but the star batter was obviously in discomfort and eventually informed the coaches that he would have to miss the match in Nagpur.
Kohli's last missed a match for India in 2021. During a three-game Test series against South Africa, he missed the second match of due to back spasms. At that time, Kohli was the team's captain, and KL Rahul stepped in to lead the side in his absence, performing admirably until Kohli's return for the final test.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill has dismissed concerns about Virat Kohli's injury and stated that the ace batter will return to the starting lineup for the second ODI in Cuttack. Due to a right knee injury, Kohli was unable to play in Nagpur, and his return to the Indian team was delayed.
Gill told the broadcaster after the game that Kohli had minor knee swelling in the morning but was good until practice the night before the game. Gill said that there is nothing to worry about Virat.
"When he woke up in the morning, he had some swelling in his knee. He was fine till yesterday's practice session. There's nothing to worry. He will definitely be fit for the next game," said Gill.
The supporters will be happy to see Kohli back, considering this was one of the few games he missed during his career. Due to Kohli's injury, Gill took over as the star batter's regular position and led the run chase with an incredible 87 off 95 balls.
