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Jaiswal replaces Kohli in India squad for Afghanistan ODIs; Rohit and Pandya's participation subject to clearance

Yashasvi Jaiswal gets another shot at staking claim to a permanent spot in the ODI setup after being named Virat Kohli's replacement for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at home starting next week.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal has replaced the injured Virat Kohli in India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan that gets underway next week. AP
Yashasvi Jaiswal has replaced the injured Virat Kohli in India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan that gets underway next week. AP
FirstCricket Staff|Jun 06, 2026, 15:43:29 IST

Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan that gets underway next week. The Rajasthan Royals star comes in for Virat Kohli, who had been named in the squad originally but has since been ruled out due to a hamstring injury following a hectic Indian Premier League season.

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The development was confirmed by Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia and chief selector Ajit Agarkar at the board's Mumbai headquarters on Saturday on the sidelines of India's squad announcement for upcoming T20 assignments.

Kohli expected to regain fitness in time for England tour 

Kohli, however, is expected to regain fitness in time for the three-match ODI series in England that will be taking place in July. It also helps that the star batter, who holds the record for most ODI centuries ever, is primarily based in London these days.

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"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. 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," Agarkar said during Saturday's press conference, in which Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma were unveiled as India's T20I captain and vice-captain respectively.

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Kohli had played a central role in helping RCB become only the third IPL franchise after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to win back-to-back titles, finishing the 19th season as the fourth-highest run-scorer with 675 runs at an average and strike rate of 56.25 and 165.84 respectively.

The former India and RCB captain scored a century and five fifties during the season, which included an unbeaten 75 off 42 deliveries in the final in Ahmedabad, in which the 37-year-old was seen having difficulty running between wickets towards the end of RCB's chase.

Jaiswal hasn't had too many opportunities in the 50-over format due to the established opening pair of former captain Rohit Sharma and current skipper Shubman Gill at the top of the order, with Kohli coming in at No 3. However, with Kohli out of the picture, it remains to be seen if the 24-year-old bats at one-down or Gill shifts down one spot.

He had struck an unbeaten century during the ODI series against South Africa on home soil last year, opening alongside Rohit with Gill being rested for the three-match rubber.

Pandya, Rohit's participation subject to clearance

Saikia added that the participation of both Rohit and all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the ODI series against Afghanistan will be subject to clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

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"Hardik is in CoE Bengaluru. He is going through a rehabilitation programme. He will soon go for the final test, and he'll be in the process of clearance. Rohit will also visit the CoE in the next two to three days. We are awaiting their final fitness clearance," Saikia said.

The India-Afghanistan ODI series gets underway on Saturday, 13 June in Dharamsala with Lucknow and Chennai hosting the second and third games on 17 and 20 June respectively.

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First Published:Jun 06, 2026, 15:51:10 IST
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