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Bhubaneshwar rolled out the red carpet for Team India’s arrival and Virat Kohli recieved a roaring reception.
Virat Kohli recieved the loudest cheer as Team India arrived at their hotel in Bhubaneshwar. (Image: X)
As the Indian team gear up for the second ODI against England, Virat Kohli’s absence from the previous game drew concerns regarding his injury. But despite this, he continued to receive a rousing reception, as the Men in Blue made their way to the team’s hotel in Bhubaneshwar ahead of the upcoming match being held in the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
In a video shared by ANI on their official X handle, shows the red carpet being rolled out for the Indian team members and management who made their way to the hotel. Several notable names like Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, and Assistant Coach Abhishek Nayar along with star players like Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and others. But the crowd went wild as soon as Virat Kohli came in, showcasing his fandom.
The batting icon was expected to play the previous game, but the captain, Rohit Sharma had revealed at the toss that ‘he had a knee problem last night’. Visuals ahead of the match had shown that Kohli had his right knee strapped up.
After India secured the win, Shubman Gill had mentioned that the injury was not as severe and Kohli was fine during the practice session that took place a day prior to the first ODI. He maintained his confidence that the star batter would be back for the following fixture.
“It’s nothing serious. He (Kohli) was fine during yesterday’s (Wednesday) practice, but he woke up with some swelling in his knee this morning (Thursday). He’ll definitely be back for the second ODI,” Gill mentioned during the post-match press conference.
Fans at Cuttack will be hopeful to see Kohli back on the field. The Barbati Stadium hosts its first ODI since December 2019 when Kohli scored a fine knock of 85 in 81 balls against the West Indies. Should Kohli return to the playing 11, it will also be interesting to see who will be benched.
The Indian team would have to make a choice between benching Yashasvi Jaiswal who only made his ODI debut in the previous game and the in-form Shreyas Iyer who scored a quickfire 59 in 36 deliveries.
