India vs Afghanistan ODI Series: After Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya Ruled Out Too
India’s preparations for the 3-match India vs Afghanistan ODI series suffer another setback as Hardik Pandya joins Virat Kohli on the sidelines. Board sources say Hardik has a quadricep injury. Recovery is expected to take about three weeks, ruling Hardik out of the key World Cup 2027 build-up games.
Officials from the Indian Cricket Board told India Today that Hardik injured the quadricep during Indian Premier League 2026. Hardik was leading Mumbai Indians and appeared in only 10 matches. Hardik then missed the closing league fixtures, raising early doubts about fitness that are now confirmed by the latest assessment.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by editors
India vs Afghanistan ODI series injury worries and selection gaps
Hardik’s absence deepens selection concerns for India vs Afghanistan ODI series, already hit by Virat Kohli’s injury. Kohli hurt a hamstring while batting in the IPL final against Gujarat Titans. Rohit Sharma also faces scrutiny over fitness after difficult IPL months, and selection clarity around Rohit’s availability for Afghanistan remains limited.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been drafted in to replace Kohli in the one-day squad. However, the BCCI has not announced a replacement for Hardik Pandya yet. The board has also not issued any formal statement confirming Hardik’s current injury status, leaving questions about squad balance for the Afghanistan assignment.
India vs Afghanistan ODI series updated ODI squad details
The updated India ODI squad for the India vs Afghanistan ODI series was named earlier, with several senior and emerging players. The list still includes Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, despite both being unavailable at present. Other batters, all-rounders and bowlers are expected to cover key roles for the three matches.
| India ODI squad vs Afghanistan |
|---|
| Shubman Gill |
| Rohit Sharma |
| Virat Kohli (Not confirmed) |
| Shreyas Iyer |
| KL Rahul |
| Ishan Kishan |
| Hardik Pandya (Not confirmed) |
| Nitish Reddy |
| Washington Sundar |
| Kuldeep Yadav |
| Arshdeep Singh |
| Prince Yadav |
| Prasidh Krishna |
| Gurnoor Brar |
| Harsh Dubey |
The Afghanistan ODIs are viewed by team management as an early step towards the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa. With Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli sidelined, and Rohit Sharma’s status uncertain, India’s plans now depend heavily on depth options staying fit through June 2026.
Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Sign in with Google