The Shubman Gill-led Indian ODI team is back in action with the first game of a three-match series against Afghanistan starting on Saturday in Dharamsala. The series is an important one for Rohit Sharmawho battled fitness issues and inconsistent form during IPL 2026. Keeping all those factors in mind, former India star Akash Chopra shared his version of the playing XI for the first ODI.
“In the team I have picked, Shubman Gill is there with Rohit Sharma. There is still no news about Hardik Pandya‘s availability, so I am assuming he is not there. I see Ishan Kishan playing at no. 3, Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5, Nitish Kumar Reddy at no. 6, and then Washington Sundar at No. 7,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“At No. 8, you can see Kuldeep Yadavand then from Nos. 9 to 11, Prasidh KrishnaArshdeep Singh, and Prince Yadav. This kind of XI might be seen. Nitish Kumar Reddy will have a bigger role here,” he added.
There will be some milestones up for grabs for skipper Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer as they take on Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series in Dharamsala on Saturday.
The opening match of the series could be a special occasion for the captain and vice-captain duo as both are approaching the milestone of 3,000 ODI runs.
Currently, in 76 ODIs, Iyer has scored 2,977 runs in 70 innings at an average of 46.51 and a strike rate of 98.51, with five centuries and 23 fifties. This year, in three ODIs, Iyer has not exactly set the world alight with his performances, scoring just 60 runs at an average of 20.00, with a best score of 49. His underwhelming performances contributed to India’s ODI series loss to New Zealand earlier this year.
Gill is also 47 runs away from 3,000 ODI runs, having scored 2,953 runs in 61 ODIs at an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 99.02, with eight centuries and 17 fifties. This year, in three ODIs, Gill has scored 135 runs at an average of 45.00 and a strike rate of 95.07, including two fifties and a best score of 56.
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