Star Indian batter Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the first One-Day International (ODI) against England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday due to a knee injury.
India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed Kohli’s absence at the toss, stating that the 36-year-old suffered a right knee issue the previous night. “This series presents us with a fresh opportunity to come out and play well. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana make their debuts. Unfortunately, Kohli is not playing due to a right knee problem that happened last night,” Rohit said.
Kohli’s fitness remains a key concern for the Indian team, especially with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 set to begin later this month. The ongoing ODI series against England serves as India’s final opportunity to fine-tune its squad ahead of the marquee tournament.
Since the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia, India has played limited one-day cricket, with a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka being their only 50-over assignment in 2024. Kohli managed just 58 runs in three innings during that series, following a stellar World Cup campaign where he was the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 765 runs in 11 innings.
Recently, Kohli made a rare appearance in the Ranji Trophy after nearly 13 years but could only score six runs off 15 balls in Delhi’s emphatic victory over Railways. His form has been a concern, as he also endured a challenging Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, averaging just 23.75 across nine innings.
With India gearing up for the Champions Trophy, Kohli will be eager to regain his form and fitness to bolster the team’s chances in the prestigious ICC event.
