Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after the veteran injured his hamstring in the RCB vs GT IPL 2026 final on May 31. The first game is scheduled to be played on June 13 in Dharamsala. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has been declared fit to play in the assignment, and he will open the innings with India captain Shubman Gill.

Former India player Aakash Chopra wants Kishan to be the team’s number three batter for the Indian National Cricket Team in the Afghanistan ODI series.

“He is God’s favourite child at the moment. He is scoring runs at the No.3 spot, and the southpaw is in good form. Whenever the doors open, Kishan walks in. He is standing when the door is opened, and when he walks in, the runs flow from his bat. He has been consistent with the bat,” Chopra said.

In a big blow for the host nation, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss three games after picking up a quadriceps strain.

Hardik was at the CoE in Bengaluru for the fitness test after experiencing a back spasm while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2026.

As per reports, the new injury happened because the player was told to bowl 10 overs at the  CoE during the check-up.

After competing in Dharamsala, the next two games will be played in Lucknow and Chennai on June 17 and 20, respectively.

“With three weeks of recovery period, there is no chance of Hardik Pandya playing in the ODI series against Afghanistan as his rehabilitation will take time,” a BCCI source told the agency.

Pandya was injured midway through the 19th season of the tournament but returned to lead the side in the last few matches.

The latest injury concern to the 32-year-old has come at the wrong time as he was looking forward to playing ODI cricket with the next year’s World Cup in mind.