Mumbai: Virat Kohli has not been on the injury list, often making his fitness synonymous with his name. But on Thursday, January 6, he was ruled out of playing XI for Nagpur ODI against England due to knee pain. Kohli has been out of action in an India jersey for the first time in 1130 days because of an injury. This was not the first time Kohli missed international matches due to injury in his career, with five instances of that happening.
It was 1130 days ago on the South Africa tour in January 2022 that the last time Kohli sat out a match through injury. He missed the second Test because of back spasms. Vice-captain KL Rahul captained the side for the first time in Pandya’s absence, but India suffered a 7-wicket loss.
After sustaining a groin injury, Kohli had to sit out of the ODI series against England in July 2022. Even without their regular captain, the team were in excellent form, as Jasprit Bumrah picked up six wickets for 19 runs, jolting England out for 110, giving India a 10-wicket win.
In 2018, Kohli skipped a match during a T20 series against England because of a back injury. This match was a series decider as the game was locked 1-1, and Kohli endured an injury from a series earlier that reached back, and he was omitted. Rohit Sharma, as captain, won the series for India with a 7-run win.
Kohli again had a close brush with his shoulder during England’s tour of India in 2017 when Kolhi collided with the boundary line during the third Test in Ranchi. It ruled him out of the Dharamshala Test, and Ajinkya Rahane’s side claimed a series-winning victory to take the match and the series 2-1.
This is significant as Kohli has kept peak fit his entire career and missed very few matches due to injury. His recoveries should come soon as the team prepares for some tournaments.