Former India cricketer Abhishek Nair has shared his predicted India XI for the 1st ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamshala on Saturday, June 13. Nair favored Yashasvi Jaiswal to bat at No. 3, a role that could give the young left-hander a chance to cement his place in India’s ODI setup.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was included in the team after star batsman Virat Kohli was out of the series. With a hamstring injury. Kohli suffered the injury while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad, forcing the selectors to make changes.
Abhishek Nair favors Yashasvi Jaiswal for No. 3 role
Speaking on Star Sports, Abhishek Nair backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to bat at No. 3 in India’s ODI lineup. He believes that Jaiswal should follow openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, which will help India maintain balance and give the young left-hander a key role in the batting order.
“Start with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. Yashasvi Jaiswal at No. 3, Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5, Hardik Pandya at No. 6, Washington Sundar at No. 7 and Harsh Dubey at No. 8,” Nair said.
Debate broke out over Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion from the original team. The left-handed batsman had already shown his ODI potential in 2025 when he scored his maiden century against South Africa after replacing the injured Shubman Gill.
Abhishek Nair wants Harsh Dubey in India’s playing eleven
Abhishek Nair believes that Harsh Dubey should be included in India’s playing eleven for the first ODI against Afghanistan. The former India all-rounder said that Dubey’s left-arm spin and all-round ability can add valuable balance to the team.
He said, “I think Harsh Dubey will play because you need a left-arm spinner. He is an all-rounder. He played for SRH this year. It will be interesting to see which fast bowlers play because I would like to see the workload management of Prasidh Krishna. He has been very injured. He has returned after a stress fracture.”
Harsh Dubey strengthened his claim for selection by performing well in the IPL 2026 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna remains a player whose workload requires careful management. The fast bowler has suffered a number of injuries in recent years, including a stress fracture in his back.
Abhishek Nair’s India playing 11 for IND vs AFG 2026 1st ODI:
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav/Additional Seamer.
Abhishek Nair wants India to try Gurnoor Brar or Prince Yadav
Abhishek Nair believes that India should give a chance to either Gurnoor Brar or Prince Yadav in the first ODI against Afghanistan. Nair also said that the final position in the playing eleven should depend on the conditions of the pitch.
“So, if you have to give a chance, look at Gurnoor Brar because he is a good bowler. He is tall and was with this Test team as well. So he should be given a chance. Prince Yadav has obviously done very well. So I would like to see Prince Yadav or Gurnoor along with Arshdeep, and manage Prasidh a bit because he has played a lot of cricket.”
“There will be Arshdeep Singh at No. 9, and Gurnoor Brar for me at No. 10, but Prasidh Krishna can play there. At No. 11, depending on the conditions, there will be either Kuldeep Yadav or an extra seamer.”
Gurnoor Brar has taken 12 wickets in nine List A matches, while Prince Yadav has taken 29 wickets in 14 List A matches. India will be looking for a strong start under captain Shubman Gill after losing their previous ODI series 2-1 to New Zealand.