Virat Kohli ruled out of Afghanistan ODI series with hamstring injury

Virat Kohli (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Team India, led by Shubman Gill, are all set to begin their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup with a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, starting at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday. India head into the series brimming with confidence after recording their biggest-ever Test victory - an innings and 300-run demolition of Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Mullanpur earlier this week. However, the hosts will be without one of their biggest stars, Virat Kohli.

Why is Virat Kohli not playing against Afghanistan?

Kohli has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series due to a hamstring injury. The injury comes at a time when the former India captain has been in outstanding form in the 50-over format. Having retired from T20 Internationals in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025, Kohli has shifted his complete focus to ODI cricket. The move has paid rich dividends, with the veteran batter continuing to dominate attacks around the world. Since the start of 2025, Kohli has scored 891 ODI runs at an impressive average of 68.53, including four centuries and five half-centuries. He carried that form into 2026 as well, scoring 240 runs in just three matches against New Zealand. The batting great also enjoyed a prolific 2025 season, amassing 651 runs in ODIs with three centuries and four fifties to his name. India are scheduled to play 20 ODIs before the start of 2027, beginning with the Afghanistan series, making Kohli's fitness a key concern for the team management. The Indian camp will be hoping that Kohli recovers in time for the important ODI tour of England next month. India are scheduled to play a three-match ODI series in England from July 14 to July 19.

India vs Afghanistan ODI Series Schedule

1st ODI – June 13, 2026

HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala

2nd ODI – June 17, 2026

Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

3rd ODI – June 20, 2026

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

India vs Afghanistan squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil(w), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

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