India’s ODI plans have received a major boost. Virat Kohli is all but set to return to international cricket after successfully completing his fitness assessment at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
The former India captain had been included in the squad for next month’s three-match ODI series against England, but his selection came with an asterisk. Kohli was still recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 final victory over the Gujarat Titans. That forced the selectors to make his place subject to medical clearance.
Now, every injury cloud has been made disappear by the man himself. According to Sports Tak, Kohli completed the required fitness tests on Monday (June 22) and is expected to receive formal clearance from the BCCI medical team shortly. Unless there is an unexpected setback, the 37-year-old will be available for the ODI series beginning on July 14.
Virat Kohli’s return comes at perfect time for India
With the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia slowly beginning to come closer month by month, every 50-over assignment is of huge importance. India do not play ODIs frequently anymore, which makes the England series one of the most important assignments. The conditions in England will be somewhat similar to what we’ll see in the marquee ICC event next year.
Kohli was forced to watch India’s recent 3-0 series sweep over Afghanistan from the sidelines. In his absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring a century in Chennai, while Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan clobbered the Afghani bowlers. Rohit Sharma was amongst the runs as well, missing a half-century in the 2nd ODI, and a ton in the last.
India squad for ODIs vs England
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar
But despite all the young guns in the Indian lineup, there’s no one like Virat Kohli, who is perhaps the greatest ODI batter of all time. At 37, he still rediscovers, and the sparks are there to be seen. Since the start of 2024, only Rohit Sharma has scored more ODI runs than the Delhi-born superstar.
Across 19 innings, Kohli has amassed 949 runs at an average of 59.31, striking four centuries and five half-centuries. However, Rohit has played four more innings than Kohli, scoring 1011 runs. His last appearance in the format came against New Zealand in January, where he finished as India’s leading run-scorer with 240 runs at an average of 80.
India vs England ODIs schedule
| Match | Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | July 14, 2026 (Tuesday) | Edgbaston, Birmingham | 3:30 PM |
| 2nd ODI | July 16, 2026 (Thursday) | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 5:30 PM |
| 3rd ODI | July 19, 2026 (Sunday) | Lord’s, London | 3:30 PM |
Kohli was in outstanding touch during IPL 2026 and saved one of his finest performances for the biggest occasion. Batting in the final against Gujarat Titans, he remained unbeaten on 75 and guided RCB to their second consecutive IPL title. Somewhere during that innings, though, he picked up the hamstring issue that eventually ruled him out of the Afghanistan ODIs.
The recovery process appears to have progressed smoothly. Reports over the last week suggested that Kohli had responded well to rehabilitation and that the medical staff were pleased with his improvement. Monday’s fitness assessment seems to have confirmed those expectations.
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