India have been forced to make late team changes ahead of the upcoming ODI series against afghanistan after Virat Kohli Was out due to hamstring injury. This legendary batsman has suffered a shock in the final match of IPL 2026. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) And Gujarat Titans (GT) And now he will not be able to participate in India’s first ODI match since January.
Kohli, who now only represents India in the 50-over format after retiring from Tests and T20Is, was initially named in the squad for the Afghanistan series. However, concerns over his recovery have led the selectors to adopt a cautious approach, especially with an important ODI tour England Scheduled for July. With three ODIs scheduled to be played on June 13, 17 and 20, the Indian team management has already announced a replacement, giving a chance to one of the most promising young batsmen in the country.
Virat Kohli is out due to hamstring injury
Kohli played a key role in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s successful IPL 2026 campaign, finishing as the franchise’s leading run-scorer and scoring a match-winning unbeaten 75 in the final against GT. His innings earned him the Player of the Match award as RCB clinched their second consecutive IPL title.
However, the former India captain suffered a hamstring injury during the title clash. Although he managed to complete the innings, later assessment confirmed that he would not be fit in time for the Afghanistan ODI series. chief selector of india Ajit Agarkar Confirmed Kohli’s absence and admitted that there is still no definite timeline regarding his recovery.
“With Virat at the moment, it has been less than a week since he injured himself in the IPL final. We don’t know the timeline yet. But it looks like he could be fit for the England ODI series.” Agarkar said.
The 37-year-old player was in excellent ODI form before the injury. He scored 240 runs in the home series new zealand earlier this year and continued that momentum into IPL 2026, where he scored 675 runs at an average of 56.25.
BCCI included young opening batsman in Indian team for Afghanistan ODI
If Kohli is unavailable, Yashasvi Jaiswal Has been named as his replacement for the Afghanistan series. The left-handed opening batsman has made a comeback in the ODI team after new zealand Series in January Jaiswal has played only four ODIs for India so far but he has already made a strong impression. This young player has scored 171 runs at an impressive average of 57.00 and scored his first ODI century. South Africa In December 2025.
“Yashaswi Jaiswal to replace Virat Kohli for three ODIs against Afghanistan”. Agarkar confirmed the replacement.
The 24-year-old is currently part of India’s squad for the ongoing one-off Test against Afghanistan and remains one of the most highly-rated batting talents in Indian cricket. His inclusion gives India an attacking top-order option as they prepare for the challenge of Afghanistan followed by the ODI tour of England in July. India’s ODI series against Afghanistan will begin on June 13 in Dharamshala, followed by matches in Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20.
Also read: For this reason Devdutt Padikkal is not playing in the only test match against Afghanistan.
