India opener Rohit Sharma will feature in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, starting June 13. The veteran batsman was subject to fitness, and he has been given a green signal by the BCCI medical team to participate in the matches. With his appearance in the first game, Rohit will script history. He will become the oldest India player to feature in an ODI match. He will break the long-standing record of Mohinder Amarnath, a former India batting all-rounder and part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team.
Amarnath was 39 years and 36 days old when he last played an ODI for India. When Rohit comes out against Afghanistan in the first one-dayer on June 13, he will be 39 years and 44 days old.
Overall, former Netherlands player Nolan Clarke is the oldest player to play an ODI. He was 47 years and 257 days old when he last played a one-dayer for his nation.
Rohit’s match fitness will be tested, but India’s team management would also closely monitor Nitish Kumar Reddy’s performance as a back-up for injury-prone Hardik Pandya when they formally begin their 2027 World Cup preparations with the first-ever ODI series against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Having nursed a hamstring niggle during the IPL, Rohit has managed to regain full fitness just in time for the three games against Afghanistan, while top-drawer Virat Kohli will miss the series due to a rare hamstring injury.
As India plan for the World Cup in South Africa in October-November 2027, there are doubts over whether the 39-year-old Rohit can last till the ODI showpiece.
Age is not on his side, but Rohit has been able to maintain his remarkable consistency.
India are scheduled to play 25-odd ODIs before the mega event, giving the team enough time to experiment with players and combinations.
Shubman Gill and Rohit are expected to open the innings, while there would be a toss-up between comeback man Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal at number three in Kohli’s absence.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil(w), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
(With PTI Inputs)
Featured Video Of The Day
IPL 2026 News | RCB Outplay CSK For 2nd Win On Trot, Ruturaj Gaikwad & Co Suffer 3rd Loss
Topics mentioned in this article
