Virat Kohli declared fit for second ODI tomorrow after missing the opening ODI against England due to swollen knee.
Virat Kohli declared fit to play the second ODI against England in Cuttack on Sunday after missing the first game.
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed his availability on the eve of the match. “Kohli is fit, yes, he is practicing with us today,” Kotak said in Cuttack. “He is good to go.”
While exercising the day before the Nagpur series opener, Kohli experienced swelling in his right knee. After revealing after reaching a half-century that he had not been scheduled to play in the first ODI, Shreyas Iyer replaced him in the starting lineup. Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal were paired at the top of the order.
Now that Kohli is healthy, it will be interesting to see how India changes their lineup to get him back. Shubman Gill, who batted at No. 3 and scored 87, could go up to open if Jaiswal is benched, giving Kohli the No. 3 spot. Gill and Kohli might bat at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, if Shreyas is benched.
Since the August tour of Sri Lanka last year, Kohli has not participated in an ODI. India’s final 50-over match before the Champions Trophy starts on February 19 is the current series against England. He spent a week training with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar following a dismal tour of Australia in which all of his dismissals were edges to the wicketkeeper or slip cordon. His form has come under criticism in recent months. After that, he had his first appearance in the Ranji Trophy since 2012 when he played for Delhi, losing to Railways by six runs.
Kohli is just 94 runs away from being just the third hitter to reach 14,000 runs in ODI cricket, which is his strongest format. Only Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar have previously reached that point, but Kohli will undoubtedly do so the quickest.