Virat Kohli sidelined with sore right knee

Virat Kohli in Nagpur yesterday. Pic/PTI

A heavily strapped-up Virat Kohli was seen giving his best during a pre-match fitness test in Nagpur on Thursday, but his efforts fell short as he was ruled out of the first ODI against England due to a "sore right knee." The news of Kohli's absence was confirmed by captain Rohit Sharma at the toss.

"Unfortunately, Virat isn't playing; he had a knee problem last night," Rohit shared at the coin toss, disappointing the large crowd that had gathered in hopes of watching Kohli in action, possibly for the last time in Nagpur in international cricket.

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Kohli's absence paved the way for Yashasvi Jaiswal to make his ODI debut, alongside pacer Harshit Rana. The team management also had to adjust the batting order, sending regular opener Shubman Gill to No. 3. The Indian vice-captain, meanwhile, made the most of the opportunity, scoring a classy 87 to guide India to a relatively comfortable win.

Kohli came into the series after struggling in the home Tests against New Zealand and having a dismal show with bat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. To end his lean patch, he returned to the domestic circuit, playing for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. However, his brief stint there was less than fruitful, as he fell for just six runs against Railways. The England ODIs were seen as the perfect opportunity for Kohli to regain his form ahead of the Champions Trophy.