Kohli’s absence from the series was confirmed by Ajit Agarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, in Mumbai on Saturday. Agarkar also said Kohli could be fit for India’s next ODI assignment – a three-match series against England from July 14 – but added that there is “no clear timeline” from the physio on his return.
“With Virat at this point, it’s just been less than a week since he injured himself in the [IPL] finals. We don’t know the timelines yet,” Agarkar said. “But it looks like he might be fit for that England one-day series. It’s not a definitive answer, so don’t hold me to it. I haven’t had a clear timeline from the physio yet.”
Kohli only plays ODI cricket for India now – having retired from T20Is and Tests – and his previous appearance was in the home series against New Zealand in January, which India lost 2-1. He top-scored for India in that series with 240 runs at an average of 80 and strike rate of 105.26. He carried that form into the IPL, scoring 675 runs at an average of 56.25 and strike rate of 165.84 (his best in any IPL season), as RCB became only the third franchise to win back-to-back titles.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya is undergoing a fitness assessment at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, and Rohit Sharma is expected to report to the facility in the coming days. Both have been included in India’s squad for the ODI series against Afghanistan.
Hardik has not played an ODI since India’s triumph at the Champions Trophy in March 2025, while Rohit, who last featured in India’s previous ODI assignment in January, is returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for six IPL matches earlier this season.
Agarkar reiterated that India’s priority was to keep Hardik available for the 50-over format ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“Like Bumrah, if we can keep him fit for one-day cricket, it gives us the opportunity to give someone like Nitish Reddy more chances in T20 cricket,” Agarkar said. “There will be some rotation in T20s, but the main objective is to see if Hardik can stay healthy and continue playing ODI cricket, with the 2027 World Cup only a year and a half away. He gives us a lot of balance. The World Cup is in South Africa, and if he’s bowling well enough, we’ll assess how things progress over the next few months.”
India’s ODI series against Afghanistan begins with the first match on June 13 in Dharamsala, followed by fixtures in Lucknow (June 17) and Chennai (June 20). The squad for the ODIs in England will be picked after the series against Afghanistan.
India’s updated ODI squad vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
