Kohli passes his fitness test and clears the way for India’s England ODIs
Virat Kohli came through his fitness assessment at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on June 22, leaving him in line to feature in India’s three-match ODI series in England next month.
Jun 24, 2026
Virat Kohli has cleared the fitness hurdle that hung over his selection, coming through an assessment at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on June 22 and putting himself in line for India’s one-day series in England. The 37-year-old had been named in the 15-man ODI squad a day earlier, but only on the condition that he proved his hamstring had healed.
By every report out of Bengaluru, he did. Kohli is understood to have completed the battery of tests without setbacks, which leaves the formal sign-off from the BCCI medical panel as the last box to tick rather than a genuine doubt. Nothing is official until the board says so, yet the tone around the squad has shifted from whether he makes it to when he lands in England.
The injury that started it
The worry traced back to the IPL 2026 final, where Kohli pulled up with a hamstring problem. It was serious enough to rule him out of the home ODIs against Afghanistan, a series India went on to sweep 3-0 without him. Missing those matches was manageable. Missing a tour of England would have been a far bigger blow, and the Bengaluru trip was arranged to settle the question well before departure.
That India built in this much runway tells its own story. Rather than gamble on a late call, the selectors named Kohli and let the fitness test decide, a sensible hedge for a batter who remains central to their fifty-over plans.
What it means for the ODI squad
Kohli’s clearance settles one of the two big questions hanging over India’s top order, with Rohit Sharma also back in the one-day group under captain Shubman Gill. The veteran pair give India ballast at the top for a series that carries weight in the next World Cup cycle, even as the team keeps blooding younger names around them.
He features in the ODI leg only. Kohli stepped away from T20 internationals after winning the 2024 World Cup, so the five-match T20I series that opens the tour on July 1 will go ahead without him. His focus, and India’s interest in his fitness, sits squarely on the three fifty-over games.
The fixtures in his sights
The ODI series starts on July 14 at Edgbaston, moves to Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on July 16 and closes at Lord’s on July 19. For Kohli, who has plenty of experience of English conditions, three matches at grounds he knows well is about as inviting a return as he could ask for after a frustrating few weeks on the sidelines.
The board’s confirmation will tie a bow on it, but the hard part looks done. Barring a late twist, India will have one of their most experienced batters back in the side when the white-ball tour reaches its closing stretch.