Yashasvi Jaiswal replaces injured Kohli for Afghanistan ODIs
What's the story
Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury. The injury was sustained during the recently concluded IPL season. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as his replacement in the squad for the series starting June 13. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed this development while announcing India's squads for upcoming T20I assignments.
Injury update
Kohli might return for England ODIs
Agarkar said, "With Virat at this point, it's just been less than a week since he injured himself in the (IPL) finals. We don't know the timelines yet." However, he was optimistic about Kohli's chances of playing in the England ODIs scheduled for mid-July. "It looks like he might be fit for that England one-day series," Agarkar added.
Player profiles
Jaiswal last played ODI in December 2023
Jaiswal, who isn't a regular in India's 50-over squad, had scored an unbeaten century against South Africa in his last ODI six months ago. This was during Shubman Gill's absence. The southpaw has just four caps in ODIs. Across 16 IPL 2026 games for Rajasthan Royals, Jaiswal scored 427 runs at 30.50 with the help of three fifties. The left-handed batter was largely overshadowed by his 15-year-old opening partner, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Clearance status
Rohit, Hardik still awaiting fitness clearance
BCCI secretary Devajith Saikia said fitness clearances for Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma are awaited before they can participate in the ODI series. "Hardik is in CoE Bengaluru," Saikia confirmed. "He is going through a rehabilitation program. He will soon go for the final test, and he'll be in the process of clearance." Rohit too will visit CoE within 2-3 days, awaiting his final fitness clearance.
Team composition
India's updated ODI squad
The first ODI against Afghanistan will be played on June 13 in Dharamsala. The teams will then move to Lucknow and Chennai for the second and final games on June 17 and 20, respectively. India's updated ODI squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.