Virat Kohli injury update before IND vs ENG 2nd ODI: Shubman Gill offers big news on India’s batter’s availability

Virat Kohli’s sore right knee on the Thursday just before the first ODI in Nagpur did give headaches to a lot ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting later this month in Pakistan and Dubai. Strapped heavily, Virat Kohli had a light warm-up on the match day as he shared light moments with his teammates ahead of the series opener as it looked like the stylish India batter will make the playing XI as usual

It was until captain Rohit Sharma revealed at the coin toss that Virat Kohli will be missing the first ODI due to a knee problem. Yashasvi Jaiswal made his debut for India at the expense of Virat Kohli.

While the injury didn’t seem big though, Shubman Gill gave a major update on the star batter’s availability for the second ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday (February 9).

“When he woke up in the morning, he had some swelling in his knee. He was fine till yesterday’s practice session. There’s nothing to worry. He will definitely be fit for the next game,” Shubman Gill had said.

According to a TOI report, the decision to rest Virat Kohli was taken on the eve of the match on Wednesday. “His right knee was fine during practice, but once we got back to the hotel, it swelled up,” a source was quoted as saying. “It doesn’t seem that bad though. He will play the Cuttack ODI in all likelihood,” the source added.

Notably, the former India captain is yet to go for scans and it will be interesting to see whether the 36-year-old heads to National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru or fly directly to Cuttack with the team.

When was the last time Virat missed a game due to injury?

The last time Virat Kohli had to sit out of cricket match due to injury was back in 2022 in a Test match against South Africa. He had a back spasm in that game, Prior to that, a stiff back saw Virat Kohli miss a warm-up match against Select County XI in 2021. In 2017, Virat Kohli was rested during the fourth Test against Australia after he injured his shoulder while trying to stop a boundary in Ranchi.