Indian cricket star and former captain Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the first ODI against England at Nagpur due to a right knee injury sustained during practice on Wednesday. His absence is a setback for the top-ranked Indian team, which is preparing for the Champions Trophy starting February 19. However, the injury is minor, and he is expected to recover in time for the next match.
Skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed Kohli’s injury, stating that while his absence is unfortunate, the team remains confident with a mix of young talents like Harshit Rana and Shubman Gill, alongside experienced players like Rohit and KL Rahul.
In an official statement, the BCCI announced that Kohli was unavailable for selection due to a sore right knee.
Match Update
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss nd opted to bat first.
Key Comebacks
India’s playing XI features the return of off-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, both making a comeback after a break.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.
England: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood.