Former India captain Virat Kohli who is one of the consistent batters missed his spot from Rohit Sharma-led side's playing XI in the first ODI against England. During the toss, India ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma revealed that Kohli is not well and the batter was suffering from a knee problem on match eve.
The former India captain was seen with a strapping on his right knee and had a light training session in the lead-up to the first ODI. "Unfortunately Virat isn't playing, he had a knee problem last night," India captain Rohit Sharma revealed during the coin toss.
"We wanted to bowl first, but it doesn't matter a lot. Need to be aggressive with the ball at the start and then need to do well later. Nice to get some time off, it's a fresh start and this is a great chance to do well. It's very important to get some game time, try and maximize whatever opportunity we have. Jaiswal and Harshit are making their debuts, unfortunately, Virat isn't playing, he had a knee problem last night" said Rohit Sharma at toss.
According to former India head coach Ravi Shastri who is doing commentary, Virat Kohli had a sore knee and swelling last night. With the mega Champions Trophy in line, the Indian think-tank doesn't want to take any risk with the star batter.
Kohli last featured for Delhi during a Ranji match against Railways where he got cheaply dismissed after scoring just six runs.
The ongoing ODI series against England will be India's last international assignment before the Champions Trophy 2025 which is scheduled to start from February 19. The mega event will take place in a hybrid model where one of the semifinal matches featuring India will take place in Dubai and Pakistan's Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi will host the rest of the tournament. The venue for the final depends on India's performance, if the Rohit Sharma-led side manages to qualify for the title decider it will take place in Dubai. Otherwise, Pakistan's Lahore will host the summit clash.
India vs England playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood