Shubman Gill-led India are set to play a three-match series against Afghanistan. The first game will take place on Saturday in Dharamsala. While Rohit Sharma has been cleared by the BCCI’s Center of Excellence (CoE) to feature in the contest, Virat Kohli misses out on the series due to injury. Rohit will open the batting with India skipper Gill, but Kohli’s absence leaves Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan fighting for the number three position. India have kept their move a secret, with bowling coach Morne Morkel not revealing the batting line-up.
“Ishan Kishan or KL Rahul or Yashasvi Jaiswal… we’ll try different players at No. 3 in this series and see how it goes. It gives us an opportunity to try a few things,” Morkel said on the eve of India’s first ODI against Afghanistan.
Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the series due to injury, and this gives Nitish Kumar Reddy a golden opportunity. The all-rounder is coming into this series after a wonderful IPL 2026 season, in which he scored 302 runs and claimed eight wickets in 14 matches.
match details
The first ODI between India and Afghanistan will take place on Saturday, June 13, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. The match will start at 1:30 PM IST, while the toss will take place half an hour before that.
pitch report
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, produces high-scoring games, thanks to its quick outfield and short boundaries. The surface helps fast bowlers, especially with the new ball.
weather details
As per AccuWeather, the chances of rain on the match day is 90 per cent. If this forecast turns out to be right, then expect the rain to impact the contest.
Live Streaming Details
The match will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.
India’s Predicted Playing XI vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna/Prince Yadav.
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