Srinagar: Virat Kohli missed the first ODI vs England and there are now serious doubts about his participation in ICC Champions Trophy-2025.
As per official statement a sore right knee forced Virat Kohli out of the first ODI against England in Nagpur on Thursday but the extent of the problem was not immediately clear.
However, there was more to the incident as commentators Ravid Shastri and Deep Dasgupta spilled beans about the Kohli injury.
“Something went wrong last night,” said former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta while doing commentary.
After that Ravi Shastri added: “I heard there was swelling in his knee.”
The Champions Trophy is due to start on February 19 in Pakistan with India playing all their matches in Dubai from February 20.
“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.