Virat Kohli ruled out of India vs Afghanistan ODI series due to hamstring injury; Who will replace star batter at no.3?
Virat Kohli was a part of the Indian ODI squad for a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan starting June 13. Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, Kohli only plays ODIs for India.
In a major blow to the Indian team, former captain Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, starting later this month. The three-match series between India and Afghanistan begins on June 13 in Dharamsala.
According to a PTI report, Kohli has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. "He is out of the ODI series due to a hamstring injury," a BCCI source told PTI. However, an official announcement from the BCCI is yet to come.
Kohli's injury was on expected line after he was seen limping while batting during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) final against Gujarat Titans in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). In fact, he got his hamstring treated a couple of times before driving RCB to second IPL title.
Kohli's absence will certainly take the sheen off the upcoming series. Though the former India captain is now a one-format player, he remains a top draw for fans worldwide.
Even at 37, Kohli is widely regarded because of his fitness at the end of his career that started in 2008. The right-hander, who hit the winning runs in the IPL 2026 final, amassed 675 runs in RCB's triumphant campaign including a hundred and five fifty plus scores.
Missing games is extremely rare for someone like Kohli, given his fitness standards. The second ODI against Afghanistan will be played in Lucknow on June 17 and third in Chennai on June 20. After Afghanistan series, India's next ODI assignment will be in England -- three games from July 14.
Who will replace Virat Kohli at no.3?
With Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to open the innings, Kohli would have batted at no.3. But with no Kohli, India can replace him with Ishan Kishan, who has been in tremendous form in white-ball lately. He was India's second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup 2026 with 317 runs, followed by 602 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026 - all at no.3.
It remains to be seen if Rohit is available for the whole series against Afghanistan. He was included in the squad subject to fitness after a hamstring injury sent him on the sidelines for a few games for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026.
India;s ODI squad vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, 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