Right after reports suggested that Hardik Pandya is likely to miss the ODI series against England, India have received some encouraging news on the Virat Kohli front. The former captain, who missed the ongoing Afghanistan ODI series because of a hamstring injury, is progressing well in his recovery and remains on course for a return next month.
Kohli suffered the injury during the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans (GT) while leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a second straight title. The setback forced him to withdraw from the Afghanistan series, with Yashasvi Jaiswal drafted into the squad as his replacement.
Since then, there have not been many updates on Kohli. While he was snapped a couple of times on the streets of London, the RCB star will be in Delhi for an event of his own sports brand. However, as far as his availability in India’s next ODI series is concerned, the hopes are quite high.
Kohli to undergo fresh assessment on June 22
As per SportsTak, Kohli has made superb progress in his rehabilitation from the right hamstring injury. The 37-year-old was recently assessed by the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence team in London, where he was advised to continue the initial phase of his recovery programme.
The next step in his comeback is scheduled for June 22, when Kohli will report to the Centre of Excellence for a fresh evaluation. The assessment will help the medical staff to analyse the next phase of his rehabilitation and, potentially, clear him for competitive cricket.
If everything goes according to plan, Kohli is expected to be available for the ODI series against England on July 14, 16 and 19. The England ODIs will be of utmost importance for India’s preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Conditions in England will be a bit similar to what we’ll see at the World Cup in South Africa. Hence, India would need to assess how players do in foreign conditions. Kohli remains one of the first names on the team sheet despite stepping away from Tests and T20Is.
India, despite winning the series against Afghanistan, lost two big ones against Australia and New Zealand in the last few months. In England, Kohli has played 33 ODIs, and has whalloped 1349 runs at an incredible average of 51.88. The tally includes 12 fifties and a century.
Despite missing the Afghanistan series, no Indian batter has outscored Kohli in ODIs since 2024. And this isn’t the old Kohli just grinding out runs. The new version is going hard too. From 2025 up to the Afghanistan series, he was striking at 98.45 – better than Rohit, Gill, and Iyer. Runs + pace, both boxes ticked.
While official clearance is still some distance away, the latest update is certainly a positive one. After the disappointment surrounding Pandya’s fitness, India will be hoping Kohli continues to tick all the right boxes over the next few days.
Most ODI runs for India since 2024
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 19 | 949 | 59.31 | 97.43 | 4/5 |
| Rohit Sharma | 22 | 932 | 44.38 | 104.36 | 2/6 |
| Shubman Gill | 19 | 920 | 54.11 | 95.53 | 3/5 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 19 | 632 | 35.11 | 89.51 | 0/5 |
| KL Rahul | 21 | 579 | 52.63 | 110.49 | 1/2 |
Kohli’s last ODI appearance came against New Zealand in January, and he signed off in style. The 37-year-old finished as India’s highest run-scorer in the series with 240 runs at an average of 80.
