Out-of-form batsman Virat Kohli suffered a groin injury during the third T20I, making his play in the first ODI against England at The Oval on Tuesday doubtful. The details of Kohli’s injury are not known but the Indian team management may give him a break in the first match so that he remains available for the next two matches which are scheduled to be played on July 14 and July 17 respectively.
A BCCI source said, “Virat has suffered a groin injury during the last match. It is not yet known whether it happened while batting or fielding. He probably won’t play tomorrow’s match.” It is learned that Kohli has not traveled from Nottingham to London in the team bus. Medical check up can be a reason behind this.
On Monday, players selected for the ODI squad only, Shikhar Dhawan, Shardul Thakur and Pramukh Krishna took part in an optional practice session. This is the reason that the team for the five-match T20 series in West Indies and America will now be selected on Tuesday. Sources close to the Indian camp said that Kohli has sought rest from the entire series against the West Indies.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has decided to send the West Indies team from Manchester by chartered aircraft due to the threat of corona infection. Kohli’s place in the T20 team is being questioned time and again by experts, including former greats like Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag. However, captain Rohit Sharma has strongly supported the former captain of Team India.
Talking about the ODI series between Team India and England, this will be Jos Buttler’s first ODI series as the full-time captain of England after the retirement of Eoin Morgan. The team would like to remove the disappointment of the T20 series here. The captain himself would also like to put the poor performance behind and regain the momentum. However, the team will get a lot of strength with the arrival of legends like Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.