Virat Kohli sustains groin strain, likely to miss 1st ODI vs England
New Delhi, Jul 11: Out-of-form batter Virat Kohli is likely to miss the first ODI against England at the Oval on Tuesday after sustaining a groin strain during the third T20 International.
The extent of Kohli's niggle is still not known, but the Indian team management wouldn't mind giving the 33-year-old veteran a break so that he is available for the next two games at Lord's (July 14) and Manchester (July 17).
"Virat has a groin strain during last game. It can't be confirmed whether it happened during fielding or while batting. He will probably miss first ODI tomorrow at Oval as the groin needs rest," a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
It has been learnt that Kohli didn't travel from Nottingham to London in the team bus and the reason could be a stopover to get a medical check-up done to assess his condition.
On Monday, only the players selected for the ODIs -- Shikhar Dhawan, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna -- had an optional net session at the Oval ground in London.
This could also be the reason for the postponement of the Indian team selection for the five-match T20I series in the West Indies and the USA. The team will be announced on Tuesday.
Kohli's place in the T20 side is being questioned repeatedly by the experts including former greats like Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag although skipper Rohit Sharma has firmly backed his long-time colleague.
According to people privy to the developments in the India camp, Kohli has asked for rest from the entire West Indies series. In the event he is not part of the squad, whether that will be termed "rest" or "dropped" will be a matter of conjecture.
The BCCI has decided to fly the Indian squad to the West Indies by a special charter flight from Manchester to Port of Spain due to the COVID-19 threat.
"The Indian team will be taking a charter flight to the Caribbean," the source informed.
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Mangaluru: Two arrested, MDMA worth Rs 5.41 lakh seized
Mangaluru: Surathkal Police have arrested two persons and seized 54.06 grams of MDMA valued at Rs 5.41 lakh near a weighing bridge at Mukka within the Surathkal police station limits, Deccan Herald reported on Saturday.
According to DCP (Law and Order) Mithun H.N., the police acted on credible information that a resident of Kaup was arriving in the area to sell MDMA. Based on the tip-off, the PSI of Surathkal Police Station conducted a raid and found two cars parked side by side at the spot.
The arrested accused have been identified as Zakaria (38), from Kombugudde in Kaup and Mithun Poojary (23), from Santhekatte, Udupi district.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had allegedly come to Surathkal to sell the MDMA to college students and the general public. Police arrested both and seized a total of 54.06 grams of MDMA from their possession,18.42 grams from Zakaria and 36.18 grams from Mithun Poojary.
Police confiscated two cars worth Rs 13 lakh, two mobile phones valued at Rs 20,000, and cash amounting to Rs 11,700. The total value of the seized property is estimated at Rs 18,72,700.
A case has been registered at the Surathkal Police Station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is in progress.
The DCP said that Zakaria has a criminal history, with five previous cases registered against him. These include assault cases at Bajpe Police Station in 2009 and Mulki Police Station in 2020, a case involving assault on a woman in 2022, a kidnapping case at Udupi Town Police Station in 2021, and another assault case at Padubidri Police Station in 2022.
