Synopsis
Virat Kohli is confirmed fit and ready for selection in the second ODI against England, according to India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. Kohli missed the first ODI due to knee soreness, but he is set to practice with the team ahead of the match.Key Takeaways
- Virat Kohli is fit and available for the second ODI.
- He missed the first ODI due to knee soreness.
- Shreyas Iyer's good performance poses selection dilemmas.
- Kohli last played an ODI in August 2022 against Sri Lanka.
- He is 94 runs away from 14,000 ODI runs.
New Delhi, Feb 8 (NationPress) India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has confirmed that the iconic batter Virat Kohli is fit and ready for selection in the upcoming second ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack this Sunday. Kohli had to miss the first ODI, which India secured with a four-wicket victory in Nagpur, due to mild soreness in his right knee. “Virat Kohli is fit and available for selection. He will be practising with us today. He is good to go,” Kotak stated during his pre-match press conference on Saturday.
With Kohli back in contention for the second ODI, the Indian team management faces a challenging decision regarding who will be omitted from the playing eleven to make space for the experienced right-handed batter. In Nagpur, Shreyas Iyer stepped in for Kohli at the last moment and delivered an impressive performance, scoring 59 runs off just 36 balls.
Given Iyer's fifty and crucial role in India’s opening ODI series triumph, dropping him seems unlikely. If the team opts to sit out Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in Nagpur, it could mean Shubman Gill will return to the opening slot alongside captain Rohit Sharma, leaving the No.3 position available for Kohli.
This ODI will mark Kohli’s first appearance since the tour of Sri Lanka in August last year, where India faced a 2-0 defeat. It is vital for Kohli to score runs ahead of the Champions Trophy, especially as his recent form has been under significant scrutiny.
Kohli's performance during the Test tour of Australia was disappointing, with only an unbeaten century in the second innings in Perth to show for his efforts, as he was dismissed in other innings due to outside off-stump nicks. Subsequently, he sought advice from former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar to address flaws in his technique while in Alibaug.
He also participated in Delhi’s final Ranji Trophy match—his first in the competition since 2012—but was dismissed for just six runs by Railways pacer Himanshu Sangwan. In ODIs, Kohli is a mere 94 runs away from becoming only the third batter to reach an impressive 14,000 runs in the 50-over format.
