Veteran Indian batsman Virat Kohli suffered a minor injury while practising during a net session at the ICC Academy in Dubai, according to a report by Pakistan’s Geo News. Kohli was reportedly stuck in his knee while facing a fast bowler in the nets, causing the session to be stopped immediately.
Kohli was reportedly immediately attended to by India’s physiotherapists, who applied a spray and wrapped the affected area.
Will Virat Kohli play Champions Trophy 2025 Final?
According to the report, Kohli felt slight pain after the injury but remained on the ground and watched the rest of the training session, indicating that the injury may not affect the veteran batsman’s chances of playing in the Champions Trophy final.
Later, the report states, the Indian coaching staff also clarified that the injury was not serious and the veteran batsman was likely to be fit for the penultimate match of the Champions Trophy.
India to lock horns against New Zealand on Sunday:
India and New Zealand will clash in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday. While India, who have played all their matches in Dubai, are unbeaten in the tournament so far, New Zealand have only lost once, to India at the same venue.
Much of the credit for India’s victories over Pakistan and in the semi-final against Australia goes to Virat Kohli, who showed his class by leading the team out of trouble with knocks of 100* and 84 respectively.
On the slow and turning track in Dubai, Kohli has not only been India’s top run-scorer but also their most effective batsman. In the four matches played so far, Kohli has scored 217 runs – just 10 short of Ben Duckett’s 227 – at an average of 72.33 and a strike rate of 83.14.
Kohli also sits just behind Chris Gayle in the overall Champions Trophy standings with 746 runs to Gayle’s 791. The 36-year-old opener is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in ODI cricket for his ability to chase totals with a precision that has often been compared to a computer.
