The Indian cricket team is currently in Ahmedabad for the third India vs England ODI on Wednesday. In the second ODI in Cuttack, Odisha, India registered a fine win over the Jos Buttler-led visitors with skipper Rohit Sharma scoring a 90-ball 119. Virat Kohli, who missed the first ODI due to a knee injury, could not fire in the second ODI. The ODIs are the only matches in the format for India this year ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025. Virat Kohli’s form will be closely watched going into the Champions Trophy.
A video of Virat Kohli has gone viral on social media which shows him arriving at the Bhubaneswar airport and then hugging a middle-aged woman despite tight security. As Kohli approached the woman, the fans’ enthusiasm increased. A lot many people were curious about who the woman was as from Kohli’s expression it seemed he knew the person beforehand. Kohli even seemed to be telling the woman something while leaving.
Who is she ?
— GOATRAH (@Gurpreet9318) February 10, 2025
Who is she?
— Men’s Cricket (@MensCricket) February 10, 2025
is she random?
— Virat.Fc (@viratkohliii018) February 10, 2025
Kohli hasn’t looked completely out of touch but hasn’t stayed at the crease for long enough to give himself a chance for a big knock either.
If he manages to click, Kohli is in with a chance create another record. He is 89 runs short of becoming only the third batter in history to score 14,000 runs in the format which arguably has been the run-machine’s favourite.
While Kohli’s form going into the Champions Trophy is not great, former Aakash Chopra believes he will return to top touch soon. He, however, had other concerns.
“The batting order is looking set. Rohit has started scoring runs. Shubman Gill is our vice-captain, and he is in good form. Virat Kohli will eventually return to form. Even if he doesn’t, god forbid, India are not going to drop him,” Chopra said.
“Shreyas Iyer is at No. 4. At No. 5, whether it’s KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, or Axar Patel, the slot is settled. One of the two—Rahul and Pant—will have to be left out. And then you have an extra batter. You might not require Yashasvi Jaiswal. That’s a possibility.”
Chopra hinted that India initially wanted a left-right combination in the top order but have seemingly abandoned that approach after Iyer’s impact innings.
“You wanted to maintain a left-right combination in the batting order. Now, you won’t be able to do it. You have played your hand, and that has backfired,” he added.
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