India captain Rohit Sharma said at the toss that Kohli had injured his right knee while training on Wednesday evening.
Jaiswal was slotted to open with Rohit on the BCCI’s team sheet with vice-captain Shubman Gill, who would have opened if Kohli was fit, listed at No. 4, though it remains to be seen if that order remains. India lost the toss and were bowling first in Nagpur.
The three matches against England are India’s last ODIs before the Champions Trophy begins on February 19. They haven’t played ODI cricket since August last year, when they lost a three-match bilateral series 2-0 in Sri Lanka, with one match tied.
Kohli’s form has been under scrutiny in recent months, and after a poor tour of Australia where all of his dismissals were edges to the wicketkeeper or slip cordon, he spent a week working with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar. He then played one Ranji Trophy match for Delhi – his first appearance in the competition since 2012 – where he was bowled for 6 against Railways.
