When was the last time Virat Kohli missed an ODI due to injury before IND vs ENG 2025 series?

Team India ace batter Virat Kohli is not a part of the proceedings in the ongoing first ODI against England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6, due to a knee injury. He had sustained the injury during training on the eve of the contest, and even underwent a late fitness test. .

"Unfortunately Virat isn't playing, he had a knee problem last night," Rohit Sharma said during the toss.

Kohli's incredible fitness levels have allowed him to stay away from injuries for nearly all of his career so far. As a result, his absence comes across as an oddity that India have to deal with currently.

The last time Kohli missed an ODI contest for India was in the first ODI against England during the 2022 tour at The Oval on July 12. On that occasion, it was a groin injury that kept him from playing. In his absence, the Indian batting unit had shuffled as Shreyas Iyer was slotted in at No. 3, while Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant constituted the remainder of the middle-order.

The Men in Blue did not feel the ace batter's absence as Jasprit Bumrah ran riot with a six-fer to bowl out England for just 110. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan then put on a thriving partnership to chase the score down in just 18.4 overs to help India win by 10 wickets.

Kohli returned to action in the next contest at Lord's. He scored 16 runs off 25 deliveries, before losing his wicket to David Willey.

Virat Kohli was spotted with heavy strapping on his knee

The former skipper was seen moving around gingerly and trying to complete warm-up drills during the build-up to the first ODI against England. During the activity, his knee was strapped up, presumably as a recovery and precautionary measure.

The extent of the injury is yet to be known as India had to introduce debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal to cover for Virat Kohli in the series opener. Should the left-handed batter open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma, both Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are in contention to bat at No. 3 in the batting order.