Virat Kohli seldom misses matches due to injuries, but duty-bound with him not playing the first ODI against England due to a knee injury, Kohli’s knees looked heavily strapped during practice but swelling appeared when the players returned to the hotel. This made team management, including captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, have a Plan B prepared, which was Shreyas Iyer. Kohli has now missed the first ODI and the latest update is that he might be playing the second ODI.
Considered a vital preparation series for the upcoming Champions Trophy, the three-match ODI Series with England could afford Kohli some much-needed form ahead of the marquee event, with the player not quite firing on all cylinders during the past one year.
Reports suggested that Kohli might be fit and available for selection in the second ODI against England, giving captain Rohit and coach Gambhir what shall be a serious selection headache.
“The right knee seemed fine during practice, but when we got back to the hotel, it swelled up,” the Times of India was informed by a source within the team. “Seems like it’s not bad. Considering he will most likely play in the Cuttack ODI”.
The last occasion Kohli missed a game through injury was in 2022 when an upper back spasm left his choice to miss a Test match against South Africa. Before that, in 2021, a stiff-back issue prompted him to skip a warm-up match against Select County XI.
It is reported that Shreyas Iyer was the one who played in place of Virat Kohli but will he be dropped from the XI if Virat Kohli returns is to be seen? The star batter made an exceptional 59 of just 36 deliveries
