India will embark on their path toward the 2027 ODI World Cup when they host Afghanistan for a three-match ODI series in Dharamsala. Unfortunately for the Indian team,they will not be able to avail the services of their veteran player Virat Kohli as the former captain has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the IPL 2026 final.
Speaking to the reporters before the first ODI India's bowling coach Morne Morkelagreed that the absence of Kohli creates a big void in the batting lineup. The experienced Indian batsman has been the spine of the Indian middle order for a long time now and one of the most reliable performers for the country in the ODI format.
Morne Morkel told reporters :
"Obviously a big miss, you know, with Virat. He's one of the senior players the leaders in the team. The way that he goes about his innings you know in that middle phase especially is something that we will miss,"
India to try out different options for Kohli's spot in the middle order
The Indian team management will not announce a replacement for Kohli at number three but will utilize the series against Afghanistan to try out multiple options for the number three slot. According to Morne Morkel India wants to develop options for the ODI format before future tournaments.
He said :
"In terms of that number three slot, I think that's something in this series we'll play around with, you know. Even if it's Ishan or KL or Yashasvi it's a nice opportunity now. We've got a couple of one-day games coming up and we'll give guys an opportunity in different slots just to give ourselves a better idea in terms of how we can go and structure teams and have different options."
Ishan Kishan KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the contenders for the No. 3 spot and while Ishan Kishan is the frontrunner for the first ODI, both KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will get their opportunities later in the series.
Kohli expected to be available for the ODIs against England in July
Though Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the Afghanistan ODIs, the injury isn't as severe as previously believed. Earlier reports stated that Virat Kohli might miss up to six weeks due to a distal semimembranosus tendon tear but latest updates confirm a good recovery for the Indian star and he is expected to be fit for the upcoming ODI series against England in July. The BCCI hasn't made any official statement regarding the same yet.
Meanwhile, India is all set to field a strong team against Afghanistan, with Shubman Gill set to captain the team with Rohit Sharma opening the innings. Ishan Kishan will be batting at No. 3, followed by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the middle order. With Hardik Pandya out of the series, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy will look to fill in as all-rounders for the team. Harsh Dubey and Prince Yadav might make their ODI debut with Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav set to lead the bowling attack.
The upcoming series against Afghanistan will be a crucial one for the Indian team as they look to test combinations and develop different options to build up towards their World Cup goals.