Virat Kohli Named in India ODI Squad for England Tour, Subject to Fitness Test
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England. Star batter Virat Kohli has been included in the squad, subject to clearing a fitness test at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on Monday.
Kohli suffered a hamstring injury during the Indian Premier League while playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The injury kept him out of the recent ODI series against Afghanistan. The CoE sports science staff had earlier visited Kohli in England to monitor his recovery.
The squad, led by Shubman Gill, sees the return of Kohli at the No. 3 batting position. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored two centuries in the Afghanistan series as Kohli's replacement, has been dropped. A BCCI source explained that the selection committee generally follows the practice of reinstating the first-choice player upon recovery. The top order is expected to feature Rohit Sharma and Gill as openers, with Ishan Kishan available as a backup opener and floater.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah returns after being rested for workload management. Veteran all-rounder Axar Patel replaces rookie left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who will join the India A squad for a multi-day series against Sri Lanka A. The source said the team management will periodically assess both Dubey and Axar for suitability ahead of the World Cup. Currently, Ravindra Jadeja is viewed primarily as a Test specialist.
The three ODIs against England are scheduled at Edgbaston (July 14), Sophia Gardens (July 16), and Lord's (July 19).
Separately, spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been dropped from the T20I squad for the upcoming Ireland series due to a foot injury sustained during IPL 2026. He is in the final stages of rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Shreyas Iyer will captain the T20I side, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain.
ODI squad for England: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli*, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar.
Updated squad for Ireland T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna.
