After Virat Kohli was ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, Rohit Sharma’s participation is also doubtful, considering the hamstring injury he suffered in the IPL 2026. Kohli will take no part in the bilateral assignment after injuring his hamstring in the RCB vs GT IPL 2026 final on May 31.

Both Rohit and all-rounder Hardik Pandya were added to the squad, but their availability was subject to fitness clearance. They will have to pass the fitness tests at the BCCI CoE (Centre of Excellence) before joining the team. Rohit hasn’t visited the CoE in Bengaluru till now, and the ANI report said that he might end up missing the games.

In 9 matches, the right-handed batter scored 283 runs at an average of 35.37 and a strike rate of 1576.22, including two fifties in the 19th season of the IPL.

The 38-year-old only plays in the fifty-over format in international cricket, having retired from T20Is and Test cricket. He bid adieu to the shortest format after leading the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup title in 2024 and announced his retirement from Test cricket in May last year ahead of the five-match series against England.

His last ODI series as a skipper was the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, with the sub-continent team defeating New Zealand to lift the trophy. He scored 76 against the Kiwis in the final and ended the year as India’s second-highest run-scorer with 650 runs in 14 matches and innings at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of 100.46.

In his last ODI outing as a batter, he managed just 61 runs in three innings against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the team will feel Kohli’s absence, who amassed over 650 runs in the recently concluded IPL season. In the summit clash against GT, he accumulated an unbeaten 75 runs off 42 balls in a 156-run chase on a pitch that had something for the bowlers.  The ODI series will start from June 13 after a one-off Test between the two countries in New Chandigarh.