Injured Virat Kohli officially replaced in Afghanistan ODIs, BCCI shares crucial fitness update on Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. BCCI shares update on Rohit Sharma.

Updated on: Jun 6, 2026, 14:34:54 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Virat Kohli has officially been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins on June 13. The chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, on Saturday confirmed that the former India captain would miss the ODIs due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT). While announcing the squads for the Ireland and England T20Is, Agarkar confirmed that Kohli will be replaced by Yashasvi Jaiswal for the upcoming matches against Afghanistan.

Virat Kohli ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan (PTI)

“Yashasvi will replace Virat,” Agarkar said during the press conference on Saturday afternoon.

Kohli, having retired from T20Is and Tests, just plays ODIs for India. His last appearance for the Men in Blue came earlier this year when he played the three ODIs against New Zealand. He top-scored for the hosts with a haul of 240 runs at an average of 80 and a strike rate of 105.26. He then carried his form into the IPL, scoring 675 runs at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, helping RCB win the tournament for the second year in a row.

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In the final, Kohli returned with an unbeaten knock of 75, but he struggled midway due to a hamstring injury, and he has now been ruled out. However, the BCCI hasn't provided a timeframe for Kohli's recovery.

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer takes over as India’s T20I captain; Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earns historic call-up for England, Ireland tours

The BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia also provided an update on Rohit Sharma, who also faced issues with his hamstring in the IPL 2026 season. The right-handed batter was named in the squad for the Afghanistan series, provided he gets a fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence.

Saikia said that Rohit will be reporting to the CoE in the next two or three days, and a call on the latter's participation will be taken closer to the ODI series.

“As far as Hardik Pandya and Rohit are concerned, Hardik is already at the CoE in Bengaluru. Very soon, he will go for the final test and will be in the process of getting the clearance certificate. As far as Rohit is concerned, he will also be visiting the CoE in the next two or three days. We are following a process for whoever gets injured; every player needs to get the certificate from our team at the CoE,” said Saikia.

India's ODI series against Afghanistan will begin on June 13 with the opener in Dharamsala, followed by the next two ODIs on June 17 and June 20 at Lucknow and Chennai, respectively. After Afghanistan, India's next ODI assignment will be against England, and the squad will be picked later on.

India’s updated ODI squad for Afghanistan series: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma*, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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