Nagpur: A sore right knee forced Virat Kohli out of the first ODI against England here on Thursday but the extent of the problem was not immediately clear.
With the ongoing series, India entered the final phase of its Champions Trophy preparations and the side is already grappling with the lingering doubts around pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah’s availability.
The Champions Trophy is due to start on February 19 in Pakistan with India playing all their matches in Dubai from February 20.
The management would hope that Kohli’s knee injury is not too serious and he is good to go in the remaining two matches of the showdown against England. The second game is in Cuttack on February 9, followed by the series-finale in Ahmedabad on February 12.
“Unfortunately Kohli not playing, a right knee problem that happened last night,” skipper Rohit Sharma said at the toss, surprising everyone.
The BCCI, known for divulging only the bare minimum, came up with a one-line statement, which added nothing more to what Rohit had revealed.
“Virat Kohli was unavailable for selection for the 1st ODI due to a sore right knee, the Board update read.
It is understood that Kohli didn’t bat for a long time due to apparent discomfort during Wednesday’s nets. On Thursday before the match, his right knee was seen heavily strapped when he came out to do some shuttle sprints.
He didn’t look comfortable and hobbled a bit with physio Kamlesh Jain keeping a close watch on his movements.
The 36-year-old hasn’t yet been taken for scans.
It will be interesting to see whether Kohli will leave for Bengaluru for a quick check-up at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) or accompany the team to Cuttack for the next game.
