Rohit Sharma set to miss IND vs AFG ODI series? Check details

The India vs Afghanistan ODI series is set to commence on June 13th; however, even before the series has begun, Indian cricket fans have suffered a major blow. According to reports, star batsman Rohit Sharma may miss the series due to a left hamstring injury. This news emerged just as Virat Kohli had already been ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury. Both of these legendary batsmen have retired from T20I and Test cricket and are now active solely in ODIs.

Rohit Sharma first encountered hamstring trouble during IPL 2026, an injury that caused him to miss nearly half of the season. He scored 283 runs across 9 innings at an average of 35.37 and a strike rate of 157.22, including two half-centuries.

If neither of these two plays in this series, a long-standing tension will, for the first time, become a reality. Despite their many awards and records, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were far from guaranteed spots in India's long-term plans. The head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and the selectors refused to guarantee their spots in the 2027 World Cup squad. For a long time, the selectors have held the view that Rohit and Kohli remain non-committal regarding the 2027 World Cup, and they currently cannot make any definitive statements regarding their inclusion in the World Cup squad. However, both Rohit and Virat have, on multiple occasions, expressed their willingness to be part of the 2027 World Cup squad.

The BCCI may soon announce two new replacements for their spots. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad could likely be included in the ODI squad to take their places. Fans fear that some discord might be brewing between Virat, Rohit and the selectors or the selection committee, and that the two might suddenly announce their international retirement.

The Afghanistan tour of India 2026 will start on June 6, with a one-off test match at Mullanpur. Following this, the 3-match ODI series will start on June 13 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. The 2nd ODI will be played on June 17 at Bharat Ratna Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, while the 3rd and final ODI will be held at MA Chidambaram, Chennai, on June 20. 

India announced a strong squad for the 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan, but both Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya's availability for the matches will be subject to both of them getting fitness clearance. 

India's ODI squad for Afghanistan series

Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey