Follow UsIn what came as a surprise, Virat Kohli was not named in the Playing 11 against England in the first One-Day International (ODI) in Nagpur on February 6 (Thursday). In Kohli's absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal was handed his ODI debut, and he opened the innings for India along with skipper Rohit Sharma. Shubman Gill was sent at number three in Virat’s absence.
Gill (87 off 96) batted brilliantly in India’s chase after both the openers had departed early and along with Shreyas Iyer (59 off 36) and Axar Patel (52 off 47), ensured that India didn’t feel Kohli’s absence in a tricky chase on a surface which was turning more with every passing over.
However, it seems like Kohli will be fit to play the second ODI in all probability. Updating about his injury, Gill assured that there’s nothing to worry about the veteran number three batter.
“When he woke up in the morning, he had some swelling in his knee,” Gill informed.
“He was fine till yesterday's practice session. There's nothing to worry. He will definitely be fit for the next game.”
The last time Kohli missed an ODI due to an injury was in 2022 against England at The Oval, where he suffered groin strain. Prior to the game, Kohli was seen walking and moving gingerly during the practice sessions with strapping around his right knee.
The former India skipper, who is part of India's Champions Trophy squad, is just 94 runs away from becoming the third player with 14,000 runs in the format.