India's star top-order batter Virat Kohli is on the road to recovery after a hamstring injury sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final ruled him out of the ongoing Afghanistan ODI series. Days ahead of the announcement for the ODI squad for England tour, Kohli is expected to fly back to India for his fitness assessment.
As per a report by TOI, Kohli is recovering quickly and should be fit for the ODI series on England soil.
"Kohli has started his rehabilitation, and his injury is healing quickly. He is expected to report to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence for his fitness assessment and clearance soon,” a source told TOI.
On June 18, the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had said that the selection committee meeting in the next three to four days where the squad for England ODI series will be picked.
The report further claims that Kohli has been consulting orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwalla. The renowned surgeon is based in Mumbai.
Earlier this month, men's selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar had indicated that Kohli is expected to be fit for the England ODI series.
How Kohli’s replacement fared in ODIs vs Afghanistan?
For the ongoing ODI series, Kohli was replaced by Yashasvi Jaiswal. In the second ODI, he opened alongside Rohit Sharma as skipper Shubman Gill shifted to no.3. Jaiswal departed for a single-digit score whereas Gill went on to score 154. It is yet to be seen whether Jaiswal will play the dead rubber ODI on June 20.
Kohli to break Dhoni’s ODI record vs England?
After a five-T20I series, the ODI series will begin on July 14 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Kohli has a chance to break former captain MS Dhoni’s record for most runs by an Indian batter against England in ODIs.
While former West Indies opener Chris Gayle holds the all-time record with 1,632 runs, for India, Dhoni is at the top with 1,546 runs, followed by Yuvraj Singh (1,523 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (1,455 runs).
From 38 ODIs, Kohli has 1,397 runs against England, averaging just over 41. He has three centuries and 10 fifties against them as well. He will need 150 runs in three ODIs to get past Dhoni.
The last time Kohli played an ODI in Birmingham was in ODI World Cup 2019. He scored 26 runs from 27 balls. He has three half-centuries at the venue from seven appearances.