India receive major boost as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya return for Afghanistan ODI series: Report

India’s senior stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are set to make their return in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after clearing their fitness assessments, sources told ANI.

According to the sources, both players have successfully passed their fitness tests and are expected to join the Indian squad shortly before the series begins.

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“Hardik and Rohit are all set to play the ODI series against Afghanistan; both have cleared their fitness test and will soon join the team,” sources told ANI.

The update comes after uncertainty over the duo’s availability, with their participation hinging on clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE). Both sustained injuries during the IPL 2026 season while representing Mumbai Indians.

Rohit has been recovering from a lingering hamstring issue, while Hardik has been undergoing treatment for persistent back spasms that ruled him out during the latter stages of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will miss the Afghanistan series after suffering a hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 final, in which Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended their title.

Also Read: Virat Kohli to miss Afghanistan ODI series with hamstring injury, Rohit Sharma faces fitness race

Providing an update on Kohli’s recovery, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the medical team is yet to determine a definitive timeline for his return.

“With Virat, it’s been less than a week since he injured himself in the final, so they’ll assess him. We don’t know the timelines yet, but it looks like he might be fit for the England ODI series. Again, that’s not definitive, and we haven’t had a clear timeline from the physio yet,” Agarkar said.

In Kohli’s absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been drafted into India’s ODI squad.

India will take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series starting in Dharamsala on June 13. The second ODI will be played in Lucknow on June 17, followed by the final match in Chennai on June 20.

India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, 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.