IND vs ENG 2025: Virat Kohli confirmed to play Cuttack ODI

For the second One-Day International (ODI) in the current series between England and India, star batsman Virat Kohli has been confirmed to be in the starting lineup. After missing out on the first game of the series because of right knee pain, Kohli will play as the third batter in the game on Sunday, February 9 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

During a pre-match briefing on Saturday, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak announced that Kohli will be making a comeback.

“Yes, Virat Kohli is in shape; he is working out with us today. In his remark, the batting coach affirmed that he was ready to go.

The Indian team won the first game by four wickets with 68 balls left, making it a one-sided contest. The Men in Blue had an easy chase thanks to a match-defining performance of 87 runs from vice-captain Shubman Gill, who played the role flawlessly in Kohli’s absence. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his debut in the Nagpur match, would have to miss out now that Kohli is back. It’s possible, though, that Shreyas Iyer is also moving to make room for the senior hitter.

The combination that captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir choose for the crucial match on Sunday will be interesting because a victory would mean that India wins the series, which would give them a much-needed boost heading into the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on February 19. Notably, Iyer confirmed after the first ODI that he played the match as a last-minute inclusion in the Playing XI due to Kohli’s knee issue.

I wasn’t scheduled to play today, as you are well aware. Unfortunately, Virat was hurt, so I was given the chance. I prepared myself. I knew I would have the opportunity to play at any time. I had the same thing during the Asia Cup last year. After the first ODI, the Mumbai batsman had reported, “I got hurt and someone else came in and scored a century.”

Kohli will play in his fifth One-Day International at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. After six long years, the venue will host a One-Day, but his batting numbers aren’t fantastic. Kohli has amassed 118 runs at an average of 29.50 in his four innings thus far, including a half-century and a best score of 85.

In contrast, captain Rohit Sharma has far superior statistics in Cuttack, scoring 143 runs at an average of 71.50 in just three One-Dayers. In the forthcoming match, Rohit will want to make the most of this and would try to get back to his best batting form.