Former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli is likely to miss the opening game of the three-match ODI series against England at the Oval on Tuesday after sustaining a groin strain during the third T20I. According to the reports of PTI, the extent of Kohli’s niggle is still not known, but the Indian team management wouldn’t mind giving a break to the out-of-form batter so that he can be completely fit for the next two games at Lord’s (July 14) and Manchester (July 17).
One of the anonymous sources of PTI, in BCCI said, “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.”
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It has been learned that Virat Kohli didn’t travel from Nottingham to London in the team bus and the reason could be a stopover to get a medical check-up done to gauge the extent of his niggle. On Monday, only the players selected for the ODIs — Shikhar Dhawan, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna — had an optional net session at the Oval ground in London.
Virat Kohli was seen with his family in the streets of London. Here is the video of the same:
@imVkohli & @AnushkaSharma Spotted in Streets Of London Yesterday ❤️🔥#Virushka #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/W7AK2VHyFm
— virat_kohli_18_club (@KohliSensation) July 12, 2022
This could also be the reason for the postponement of the Indian team selection for the five-match T20I series in the West Indies and the USA. The team is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday. Kohli’s place in the T20 side has often been scrutinized by the experts including former greats like Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag although skipper Rohit Sharma has firmly backed his long-time colleague.
According to people privy to the developments in the India camp, Virat Kohli has asked for rest from the entire West Indies series. In the event he is not part of the squad, whether that will be termed “rest” or “dropped” will be a matter of conjecture.
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The BCCI has decided to fly the Indian team will be taking a special charter flight for the West Indies from Manchester to Port of Spain due to the COVID-19 threat. “The Indian team will be taking a charter flight to the Caribbean,” the source informed.
