MUMBAI: Virat Kohli has made significant progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury and is on track to return to the Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series in England, TOI has learnt. “Kohli has started rehab and his injury is healing fast. He is expected to report back BCCICenter of Excellence for its capability assessment and approval soon. If his recovery goes as planned, Kohli is expected to return to the squad for the upcoming England series,” the source said.
BCCI selectors choose a composition soon
India’s ODI squad for the England tour will be selected later this week.“The committee meeting to select the Indian ODI team for the England tour will be held in the next three to four days,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told TOI on Thursday.The three-match ODI series between India and England will be played from July 14 to 19, with matches scheduled in Birmingham, Cardiff and Lord’s.The 37-year-old Kohli missed the ongoing home ODI series against Afghanistan with a hamstring injury and was replaced by opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.The superstar batsman consulted renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwalla, who works at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and serves as BCCI’s consultant orthopedic surgeon.
A knee injury ruled Kohli out of the Afghanistan series
Kohli suffered a knee injury during his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls in the IPL final, which helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase down 156 against Gujarat Titans and win their second straight IPL title.On Tuesday, several pictures surfaced online showing Kohli spending time in London, where he currently resides, with England batsman Jordon Cox, his Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate. The meeting was held hours before the 25-year-old was named in England’s squad for the second Test against New Zealand, which began at The Oval on Wednesday.
Agarkar hinted at England’s comeback
While announcing India’s squad for the series against Afghanistan in Mumbai on June 6, chief selector Ajit Agarkar indicated that Kohli could be fit for the England series, but added that there was “no clear time frame” from the physios regarding his return.“As for Virat, it’s been less than a week since he got injured in the IPL final. We don’t know the time frame yet. But it looks like he might be fit for that one-day series in England. That’s not the final answer, so don’t hold me to it. I haven’t got a clear timetable from the physio yet,” Agarkar said.After retiring from T20Is and Tests, Kohli now plays only ODIs for India. He previously came in the home series against New Zealand in January, where he top-scored for India with 240 runs at an average of 80 and a strike rate of 105.26.
