Virat Kohli spotted with right knee strapped ahead of IND vs ENG 2025 1st ODI [Watch]

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is not playing the first ODI of the three-match home series against England. At the toss ahead of the first match on Thursday, February 6, in Nagpur, skipper Rohit Sharma mentioned that Kohli would not be playing due to a knee problem that he suffered the night before the game.

An official statement also gave further clarity, stating that Virat Kohli was unavailable for selection due to a sore right knee. The star batter was seen on the field ahead of the start of play in Nagpur.

However, he was spotted with his right knee strapped, indicating the knee issue that ruled him out of the opening ODI against England. Virat Kohli was seen walking out during the pre-match training session but with his right knee strapped.

Kohli can be seen walking with his right knee strapped ahead of the first ODI in a video posted by a user on X (formerly Twitter) below -

The second and third games of the series will take place in Cuttack and Ahmedabad on February 9 and February 12 respectively. Notably, these are the last three international games India will play before heading for the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.

---

Yashasvi Jaiswal makes ODI debut as Virat Kohli misses out on opening game

While Virat Kohli missed out on the opening ODI against England due to a sore right knee, the other big news was of Yashasvi Jaiswal making his debut in the format for India.

The young left-hander has played Test and T20I cricket for the Men in Blue but this will be his first appearance in the one-day cricket on the international stage. Jaiswal has played 32 List-A matches so far and has scored 1511 runs at an average of 53.96.

Jaiswal is expected to open the batting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. In the absence of Kohli, Shubman Gill could be seen batting at the No.3 position in this game.

Kohli's last ODI appearance for India came against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2024. The Men in Blue will expect the star batter to be fit in time and play the next two games of the series.