Synopsis
Virat Kohli's injury ahead of the first ODI against England appears to be minor. Captain Rohit Sharma confirmed Kohli's right knee injury during practice. The BCCI reported Kohli's unavailability for the match, but he was seen warming up, indicating a potential quick return. Yashasvi Jaiswal received his ODI cap due to Kohli's absence.Key Takeaways
- Virat Kohli's injury is likely minor.
- Captain Rohit Sharma confirmed his right knee injury.
- BCCI stated Kohli is unavailable for the first ODI.
- Kohli was seen warming up, suggesting a quick recovery.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal earned his maiden ODI cap.
Nagpur, Feb 6 (NationPress) The injury sustained by senior batter Virat Kohli prior to Thursday's inaugural ODI against England appears to be a minor concern for India, as it does not seem serious and the former Indian captain is anticipated to return for the next match.
During the toss, India captain Rohit Sharma announced that Kohli had hurt his right knee during practice on Wednesday evening, prompting his withdrawal from the first ODI. Although both the Indian team management and Kohli may feel disheartened about missing this match, the injury appears to be minor in nature.
The BCCI provided an official update stating that Kohli was unavailable for selection in the first ODI in Nagpur due to a sore right knee.
Kohli was seen on the field with his teammates shortly after their arrival at the stadium, engaging in warm-up exercises for the first ODI while sporting a strapping on his right knee. This suggests that the injury is not severe and is unlikely to sideline him for additional matches.
Earlier in the morning, there were unverified reports indicating that allrounder Hardik Pandya had been taken to the hospital on Wednesday night due to stomach pain. However, the Indian team management did not confirm these claims. Ultimately, Pandya was included in the squad, and it was Kohli who had to miss out.
In Kohli's absence, the team management opted to award Yashasvi Jaiswal his maiden ODI cap, alongside pace-bowling allrounder Harshit Rana, while Mohammed Shami made his return to the ODI squad following the 2023 World Cup.
Previously, there had been hopes that spinner Varun Chakravarthy might make his ODI debut after being added to the squad late due to his exceptional bowling performance in the T20I series, where he was named Player of the Series with 14 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the third match at Rajkot.
In the pre-match press conference, skipper Rohit had hinted at Chakravarthy's involvement in one of the matches, as the team management was very impressed with his T20I bowling, which brought him into consideration for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
However, that did not materialize, and Chakravarthy will have to wait for his ODI debut as India chose to give the first cap to Harshit Rana.
