Former Indian opening batter Aakash Chopra has been surprised by Virat Kohli’s recent injuries, especially given the fitness regime the star cricketer has adhered to over the years. Chopra reflected that Kohli hardly misses any competitive cricket game due to injury and hopes to see him in the second ODI against Cuttack.
The first ODI against England on Thursday in Nagpur proved to be the first international game that Kohli has missed out on for the since 2022 due to injury-related reasons. According to media reports, the 36-year-old had suffered a knee injury while travelling to Nagpur, forcing the think tank to keep him out of the opening match.
Here’s how the retired cricketer wrote on X, reacting to Kohli’s injury:
“Neck in January. Knee in February. Not often you see Kohli missing any competitive cricket because of fitness issues. But here we are. Hopefully, he’ll be fit for Cuttack.”
Team India restrict England to 248 despite the tourists making a rapid start
Meanwhile, England made a rapid start to their innings as Phil Salt and Ben Duckett shared a 75-run opening stand but lost the plot to finish with a rather underwhelming total. There were fifties from Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell but it was the cameo from Jofra Archer that proved critical in driving the tourists to 248.
Debutant Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja shared the spoils, taking three wickets each. The Men in Blue have already won the five-game T20I series but the 50-over series carries greater relevance, given the Champions Trophy is looming.
