Virat Kohli Injury Update: How Serious Is the Hamstring Tear and Which Matches Will He Miss Next?
The Indian cricket community has been eagerly awaiting news on the condition of Virat Kohli due to reports that the star player had injured his hamstring while playing in the IPL 2026 final. His injury not only made him unavailable for the ODI matches against Afghanistan but has left his participation in future engagements in jeopardy.
The real worry is whether this is merely a minor hamstring strain requiring some time off or whether it is a tear which would sideline him for weeks.
What Happened to Virat Kohli?
It is being reported that Kohli suffered an injury to his hamstring during the final of the IPL 2026 when playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team. In spite of being injured, he played on and helped his team win its second successive IPL trophy.
Not long after, reports began to surface that he would not be available for India’s upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan due to his injury.
As of now, it is not clear what grade of an injury that Kohli suffered.
How Serious Is the Hamstring Injury?
Severity of a hamstring problem is related to the amount of muscle damage sustained.
Grade 1 hamstring strain involves one to three weeks of healing time, Grade 2 tear takes four to eight weeks, and Grade 3 tear may even result in sidelining an individual for months.
So far, all reports indicate a hamstring problem in the case of Kohli, and not a severe one. The reason why he decided to withdraw from international cricket right after IPL could be because of the caution the medical team is taking.
That he might miss further matches in the ODI series shows that it will take longer to heal than first anticipated.
Which Matches Will Virat Kohli Definitely Miss?
The only absentee at the moment, which is confirmed, is India’s ODI series against Afghanistan, where reports say that Kohli has already been dropped from the series due to the hamstring injury he sustained during IPL 2026.
This will give him ample time to concentrate on his rehabilitation program without aggravating the injury.
Could He Miss the England ODI Series Too?
These are the areas where worries are increasing. Kohli might be unable to play India’s next ODIs series against England due to his lack of recovery as per recent reports.
As per the reports, the selection panel does not want to take any risk with him because of his importance for India’s ODI team and a very busy international schedule awaiting the team.
Why Team India Is Being Careful
Hamstring strains have been known to occur frequently in professional cricket.
When players return prematurely, it leads to set-backs as they put pressure on their hamstrings during sprints, running from wicket to wicket, and while fielding.
It is not likely that Kohli, who is a significant member in ODI batting for India, will be allowed to rush his return for any short periods of play.
The main aim will be complete recovery instead of getting him back too soon and facing another injury.
What Does This Mean for India?
The absence of Kohli poses a big problem for India’s batting.
At 37 years of age, he is still one of the senior-most ODI players for India in terms of experience. He is someone who cannot easily be replaced in India’s middle order.
If his absence continues into the upcoming ODIs against Afghanistan and England, it might become necessary for the selectors to hand extended middle-order chances to young batters.
Latest Recovery Outlook
Presently, an official time frame for Kohli’s comeback is not available. The official fact that is known now is that he will be unavailable to play in the Afghanistan ODI series. Rumors are also floating around regarding his participation in the England ODI series based on recovery status.
More information will be released by the BCCI once the medical team finishes their examination in a few weeks.
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Conclusion
Virat Kohli’s hamstring problem does not seem to be career-threatening in nature as yet, but it is certainly bad enough to prevent him from taking any action on the field anytime soon. Whereas he has been ruled out of playing in the Afghanistan ODI series, his involvement with the England team is still under consideration.
For the time being, Virat Kohli can only be expected to recover and resume his duties with all his might.
