Are Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya fit for Afghanistan ODIs? BCCI gets answer

India's preparations for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan have been dominated by questions surrounding the fitness of two of their most experienced players. With the series set to begin in Dharamsala on Sunday, all eyes were on Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, where final assessments were being carried out.

Both Rohit and Hardik were named in the squad with fitness concerns after dealing with injuries during IPL 2026. Their availability for the three-match series remained uncertain, making the outcome of their fitness tests a major talking point ahead of India's first ODI assignment since the Champions Trophy win last year.

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Hardik and Rohit cleared

According to a PTI report, the Sports Science team at the CoE has now cleared both Rohit and Hardik after completing their assessments. The development comes as a major boost for India, especially after Virat Kohli was ruled out of the series because of a hamstring injury.

"Hardik was on a holiday abroad before he checked in at the CoE on June 2. Over the next five days, he did several match simulations and even bowled (full quota of) 10 overs," a BCCI source told PTI.

"There has been no discomfort and the information is that his fitness data for various parameters has been okayed by Strength and Conditioning coaches at the CoE," the source added.

Meanwhile, Rohit suffered an injury during IPL 2026 and missed five matches for Mumbai Indians. Although he returned later in the season, he often featured as an Impact Player and did not spend long periods on the field, raising doubts about whether he was ready for 50-over cricket.

Because of those concerns, the BCCI had made it clear that Rohit's place in the Afghanistan squad was subject to fitness clearance. The latest update means Rohit will be available for selection and is expected to play a key role in India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The three-match ODI series against Afghanistan begins in Dharamsala on June 14, before moving to Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20.

India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.