-Shamik Chakrabarty in Cuttack
Virat Kohli is set to return for the second ODI of the ongoing series against England if things go to plan, RevSportz understands. The former India captain had to sit out of the first ODI due to a swollen knee. According to sources, however, the injury wasn’t serious and he has travelled with the team to Cuttack. So, unless there’s another eleventh-hour issue, Kohli would be part of India’s playing XI in the second match.
India will train on the match eve from 5 pm on Saturday. The session is expected to give a clearer picture on Kohli’s availability.
Kohli has an impeccable fitness record. The last time he had missed an international fixture before the Nagpur game was in 2022, when back spasms kept him out of a Test against South Africa. Even at 36 years of age, he remains one of the fittest cricketers in this Indian team.
Kohli, one of the best-ever ODI batsmen, if not the best-ever, is just 94 runs shy of reaching the milestone of 14,000 runs in 50-over internationals. He hasn’t been scoring runs in Tests of late. A tally of 190 runs from nine innings in Australia was pretty underwhelming. But it wasn’t a case in isolation. Kohli has been performing below par by his lofty standards in red-ball cricket for a while now. But he is a different kettle of fish in ODIs.
Kohli was the highest run-getter at the 2023 World Cup, with 765 runs from 11 innings at an average of 95.62. After that, he played only three more matches in this format, in Sri Lanka last year and he wasn’t successful there – 58 runs from three innings at an average of 19.33. India’s best batsman needs to be in fine fettle ahead of the Champions Trophy.
If Kohli returns to the playing XI, Yashasvi Jaiswal might have to make way. The left-hander opened with Rohit Sharma in the first ODI but got out for 15. The youngster actually was a tad unlucky to get arguably the ball of the match from Jofra Archer on his ODI debut. Then, Shreyas Iyer came and played a blinder – a sublime 36-ball 59 that swung the momentum in India’s favour. Interestingly, as Shreyas revealed post-match, he wasn’t part of the team management’s playing XI plan and came in only because Kohli was injured.
“So, funny story,” Shreyas told the host broadcasters. “I was watching a movie last night and thought I could extend my night, but then I got a call from the skipper saying that you might play because Virat has a swollen knee. I quickly rushed back to my room and went straight to sleep. I wasn’t supposed to play, but Virat got injured, and I got my chance.”
That one of the best ODI batsmen in the world wasn’t “supposed to play” could be down to India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s apparent obsession for having left-right combinations in the middle overs. But after Shreyas’ exploits with the bat in Nagpur, dropping him in Cuttack would border on the preposterous.
Coming to Rohit, Nagpur was another failure for the skipper, who is gradually putting himself in an invidious position. From a distance, from the press box balcony, the Barabati pitch looked a belter a day before the match and this might be Rohit’s best opportunity to get back to form. Another failure will take him to the precipice.
Massive craze
Cuttack is hosting an ODI for the first time since 2019 and the craze here is massive. Barabati Stadium can accommodate around 45,000 spectators but out of that 30,000 tickets have been reserved as complimentary passes. Some physical tickets were sold a few days ago, creating a stampede-like situation at the stadium. Police reportedly had to use water cannons to disperse the crowd. Ticket prices range from Rs 800 to Rs 20,000 (corporate box), and it’s already a sell-out.
Back in 2019, Kohli had scored 85 and walked away with the Player-of-the-Match award. Rohit had made 63. Can the big boys of Indian cricket turn back the clock? Cuttack waits eagerly.
Also Read: Revitalised Shreyas Iyer could be key to India’s Champions Trophy chances