India star batter Virat Kohli could feature in the second ODI against England on Sunday (Feb 9) after he missed the opening contest of the three-match series on Friday. The claim comes after Shubman Gill opened up on the former India captain’s fitness issue in his post-match comments as the hosts beat England by four wickets in Nagpur. Gill played a crucial 87-run knock in the opening ODI which helped India propel to a 1-0 lead in the series.

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Virat fit for Cuttack ODI, claims Gill

"When he woke up in the morning, he had some swelling in his knee. He was fine till yesterday's practice session. There's nothing to worry. He will definitely be fit for the next game," said Gill in the post-match interview.

The Indian vice-captain’s 87-run knock was one of the feature innings as they beat England comprehensively. However, the win came in the absence of Virat who had a knee issue heading into the match. His absence meant Yashasvi Jaiswal got the nod as the opener while Gill dropped into the middle-order.

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India make light work of England

Asked to chase 249 runs to win, the Indian team did not have the best start to their innings as they lost skipper Rohit Sharma (2) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (15) in the opening six overs. However, the Indian team then came good with the bat Gill and Iyer started India’s recovery. The pair put together 84 runs for the third wicket before Iyer was scalped by Jacob Bethell on 59 in the 16th over.

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Gill was then joined by Axar Patel as they stitched a partnership of 108 runs as India established an iron grip over the contest. Patel would depart for a well-made 52 before England tried to mount a mini comeback with the wickets of Gill and KL Rahul (2). However, Ravindra Jadeja (12) and Hardik Pandya (9) helped India get over the line and win the match.

The two teams will next meet on Sunday at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, where a win for India would seal the ODI series.