Virat Kohli was not a part of India’s ruthless 10-wicket win against England in the first ODI at the Oval. The former India captain was left out of the game after he sustained a groin niggle. 

The second game of the three-ODI series on Thursday will be played at the iconic Lord’s Stadium. The big question ahead of the match that could seal the series for India is: Will Kohli play?

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When Jasprit Bumrah, India’s leading pacer in the first ODI, was asked about the statues of Virat Kohli’s injury in the post-match press conference on Tuesday, the 28-year-old said that he isn’t privy to the developments. 

“I don’t know the status of his injury because I did not play the last game (3rd T20I). Hopefully, he recovers, but I really don’t know the status of his injury,” the pacer had said.

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Kohli, who is backed by skipper Rohit Sharma because of ‘his quality’, registered scores of 1 and 11 in the two T20Is he played against Jos Buttler’s men. The 33-year-old has been struggling to get runs since the last two years and his last ton came in November 2019. 

If he is included in the team, Shreyas Iyer, who batted at No 3 at Oval, is likely to benched. However, news agency ANI reported that Kohli is doubtful for the the game. 

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After winning the T20I series 2-1, India captain Rohit Sharma had backed Kohli. 

“If you talk of form, it goes up and down for everyone. The quality of a player never goes down and we should remember that. When you make certain comments, you should always remember that the quality of a player does not go down. We back that quality. It has happened with me, it has happened with XYZ, it has happened with everyone, it is nothing new,” he said after the end of the T20I series last week.