Virat Kohli Ruled Out of Afghanistan ODI Series Due to Hamstring Injury

New Delhi. Star batsman of the Indian cricket team Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. He sustained a hamstring injury last week while guiding Royal Challengers Bangalore to the IPL 2026 title. With Kohli out due to injury, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in the Indian team.

Chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Ajit Agarkar, confirmed Kohli's absence from the series at a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday. According to Agarkar, Kohli might be fit by the three-match ODI series against England starting July 14, but there is no clear timeline for his comeback from the physio. Agarkar clarified that since it has been less than a week since he was injured in the final match, Kohli's health condition cannot be definitively stated at this time, and it is only hoped that he will recover by the series against England. Kohli, who has retired from T20 and Test cricket, is currently active only in the ODI format.

He last played for India in the home series against New Zealand in January, in which India lost 2-1. In that series, Kohli scored 240 runs at an average of 80 and a strike rate of 105.26, becoming India's highest run-scorer. He continued that form in the IPL as well, scoring 675 runs at an average of 56.25 and an excellent strike rate of 165.84. With Kohli's stellar performance, RCB became the third team to win the IPL title for the second consecutive time.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, who replaced Kohli in the team, made his ODI debut against England in February 2025. He has played four ODI matches so far. In his last ODI match in December 2025, Jaiswal played an unbeaten century innings of 116 against South Africa in Visakhapatnam.

Meanwhile, the selectors have also provided information about two other important members of the team, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma. Pandya is currently undergoing his fitness test at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and Rohit Sharma is also scheduled to reach there in a few days. Both players have been included in the ODI squad against Afghanistan. Pandya has not played any ODI matches since India won the Champions Trophy in March 2025. Rohit Sharma, who missed six matches in the current IPL season due to a hamstring injury, is returning to the field with this series.

The ODI series between India and Afghanistan will begin with the first match on June 13 in Dharamshala. The subsequent matches will be played on June 17 in Lucknow and June 20 in Chennai. After the conclusion of this series, the Indian squad for the England tour will be announced.

Indian Squad Announced for Match Against Afghanistan:

Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurunur Brar, and Harsh Dubey.