India바카라™s star batter Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the first ODI against England in Nagpur due to a knee injury sustained during training on the eve of the match. His absence marks a rare instance of him missing a game for India due to injury, with the last such occurrence dating back to 2021 during a Test series against South Africa. (Match Blog | More Cricket News)
With Kohli unavailable, India handed an ODI debut to young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was slotted to open the innings alongside captain Rohit Sharma. As a result, vice-captain Shubman Gill, who would have opened if Kohli had played, was listed at No. 4. However, it remains to be seen if this batting order is followed once India take the crease.
Bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana also made his ODI debut in this match, adding an extra dimension to India바카라™s attack. England won the toss and opted to bat first at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, with India taking the field without their most experienced ODI batter.
Virat Kohli바카라™s fitness has been one of his strongest attributes throughout his career, making his injury-related absence a significant talking point. According to Rohit Sharma, Kohli injured his right knee during training on Wednesday evening and was not fit to play the first match of the series. This is only the second time in his career that he has missed an ODI due to injury.
The last time Kohli missed an international game for India due to an injury was in January 2021, when a back spasm ruled him out of the second Test against South Africa. On that occasion, KL Rahul stepped in as captain. Since then, Kohli has remained remarkably durable across formats.
The ongoing three-match ODI series against England is India's final preparation before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on February 19. Notably, India had not played ODI cricket since August 2024, when they lost a three-match series 2-0 to Sri Lanka, with one match ending in a tie.
For Kohli, this series was seen as an opportunity to regain form ahead of the marquee ICC event. His struggles in the recent Test series against Australia, where he was repeatedly dismissed caught behind, have put his batting under scrutiny. In an effort to work on his game, Kohli trained with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar before playing a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi -- the first time he had featured in the domestic competition since 2012. However, his return to first-class cricket did not go as planned, as he was dismissed for just 6 runs against Railways.
Kohli's absence also delays his chase for another historic milestone. The prolific right-hander is just 94 runs away from becoming only the third player to reach 14,000 ODI runs, after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. While he is expected to achieve the feat in this series, he will now have at most two matches to do so before the Champions Trophy.
India will be hoping for Kohli바카라™s swift recovery, as his experience and class in ODIs remain invaluable. With just two matches left before the Champions Trophy, the team management will closely monitor his fitness ahead of the second ODI. His return will not only boost India's batting but also provide him with crucial match practice before the global tournament.
