Last Updated:
Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has given a major, positive update on senior batter Virat Kohli’s fitness ahead of the 2nd ODI.
Virat Kohli. (PTI Photo)
Indian men’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has confirmed that Virat Kohli is fit to play Sunday’s second ODI against England at the Barbati Stadium in Cuttack. The senior batter had missed out on the first game due to a knee issue. India won that match by four wickets and are leading the three-match series 1-0.
This was the first time in around four years that Kohli missed an international match due to an injury. In his place, India gave a debut to opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who couldn’t impress. After the match, number four batter Shreyas Iyer, who scored an important half-century, said that he wasn’t supposed to play the match — meaning Jaiswal would’ve played anyway — and only got in because Kohli’s knee took a swelling.
“Virat Kohli is fit to play. He has come for practice and is good to go” Kotak said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday, as quoted by PTI.
However, Kotak didn’t divulge who among Jaiswal and Iyer would be dropped from the playing eleven.
“That’s something for the head coach and captain to decide. Yes, the left-right combination is an important factor, but that’s not a question for me to answer,” he said.
This decision could be decisive in understanding India’s strategy for the Champions Trophy. If Kohli comes in for Jaiswal, India would go back to the Rohit Sharma-Shubman Gill opening combination followed by Kohli, Iyer and KL Rahul (with some rotation with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja) that worked for them in the 2023 World Cup.
On the other hand, if he comes in for Iyer, it’ll mean that the team is seeing Gill as a number three option with Kohli at number four. Rahul and Iyer will then be competing for the same spot.
Kotak said the team’s Champions Trophy preprations are ongoing and kept the possibility of further experimentation open.
“The entire team looks solid. Whether there is any experiment, new players will come to the XI or some senior players will be left out. It’s the head coach and captain who will discuss and they will decide. So, I don’t think I can make any comment on that,” he said.
