India have been dealt with a concerning blow as star batsman Virat Kohli may miss the first ODI against England, slated for Tuesday at the Kennington Oval, London. This is because Kohli reportedly sustained a groin injury during the third T20I on Sunday, as reported by PTI.
Kohli, who scored only 1 run in the second T20I, came out all guns blazing in the third T20I at Trent Bridge, smashing a four and a six to left-arm pacer David Willey, but played one shot too many and gave a catch to Jason Roy at cover, departing for 11 runs off 6 balls as his atrocious England tour continued; he had scores of 11 and 20 in the Edgbaston earlier this month to his name.
Virat Kohli likely to miss the first ODI
A BCCI source told PTI that Kohli had sustained this injury during the Trent Bridge T20I and is likely to miss the first ODI.
“Virat has a groin strain during last game. It can’t be confirmed whether it happened during fielding or while batting. He will probably miss first ODI tomorrow at Oval as the groin needs rest,” a BCCI source told PTI.
The seriousness of the injury is not clear yet and this has put his participation in the second and third ODI, scheduled for Thursday at Lord’s and Sunday at Old Trafford respectively, in doubt.
Kohli is already been given rest from the ODI series in West Indies later this month, while he, and others who are rested for the ODI series, are expected to play in the 5-T20I series against Nicholas Pooran’s team, the squad for which is yet to be named.
Although Kohli’s Test and T20 form has been under a cloud, the former captain has remained consistent in ODI cricket; despite the lack of a century, Kohli averages 39 in ODI cricket since the start of 2020 and has notched up 9 half-centuries in his last 18 ODI innings, including two in South Africa earlier this year.
