File image of Virat Kohli© BCCI
Many fans were left disappointed after veteran batter Virat Kohli was ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. The stylish right-hander, who has already retired from T20Is and Tests, is targeting a return for the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, he suffered a hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans, which will keep him out of the Afghanistan ODIs. On Saturday, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced that young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as Kohli’s replacement in the squad.
The announcement came alongside the naming of India’s squads for the T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games. Jaiswal is currently part of India’s squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur.
If reports are to be believed, Kohli is also likely to miss the ODI series against England to ensure complete recovery from his injury.
“He has a hamstring tear. The injury won’t require surgery. It will take about six weeks of healing time, which will also involve rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. He tele-consulted renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwalla (at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai), who reviewed his MRI scans,” a source said.
Meanwhile, winds of change swept across India’s T20I set-up as Shreyas Iyer on Saturday took over the captaincy from Suryakumar Yadavand wonder kid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Found a place in the squad for the twin tour of Ireland and England.
At 15 years and 71 days old, Sooryavanshi becomes the youngest ever player to feature in an Indian cricket team, surpassing the long-standing record held by the great Sachin Tendulkar.
India will travel to Ireland for two T20Is (June 26 and 28), followed by a five-match T20I series against England between July 1 and 11. Shreyas has returned to the national T20 side for the first time after a match against Australia at Bengaluru on December 3, 2023.
(With PTI Inputs)
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