Amid concerns over his poor returns with the bat and debate over his place in the Indian limited-over side, former India skipper Virat Kohli was rested from the opening match of the three-match ODI series against England on Tuesday at The Oval in London as the BCCI shared an update over his fitness issue. India skipper Rohit Sharma, after winning the toss, revealed that Kohli has been rested owing to an injury before BCCI revealed that the star India batter incurred a mild groin strain and hence was not considered for selection for the opening ODI match of the series against Jos Buttler's men. Also Follow: India vs England 1st ODI Live Score
Young India fast bowler Arshdeep Singh missed the selection as well owing to right abdominal strain.
"Mr. Virat Kohli and Mr. Arshdeep Singh were not considered for selection for the first ODI against England. Virat has a mild groin strain while Arshdeep has right abdominal strain. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring them," read the BCCI statement.
Rohit revealed that Shreyas Iyer will take Kohli's place in the batting line-up at No.3.
"There is some grass cover and it's overcast as well. I guess sun will be out in sometime. We want to have a score in front of us. Shami, Bumrah - those guys can swing the ball. It's important to take wickets upfront and put brakes on the scoring. We understand the importance of playing overseas, we want to do well outside India. Today is no different. We have five batters, two all-rounders," said Rohit after he won the toss and opted to bowl first.
{{/usCountry}}"There is some grass cover and it's overcast as well. I guess sun will be out in sometime. We want to have a score in front of us. Shami, Bumrah - those guys can swing the ball. It's important to take wickets upfront and put brakes on the scoring. We understand the importance of playing overseas, we want to do well outside India. Today is no different. We have five batters, two all-rounders," said Rohit after he won the toss and opted to bowl first.
{{/usCountry}}England, on the other hand, welcomed the return of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes to the ODI side.
"I am learning a lot about myself, and about my role. Looking forward to the ODI series, it has been a great learning experience. It's great to welcome those guys back. They (Root, Bairstow, Stokes) are few of the best players in the world. There are a lot of selfless guys in the team, that will be exactly the same today," said Buttler.