Rohit Sharma is gearing up for the ODI series against Afghanistan as he returns after a recent hamstring injury. Rohit was sidelined for some matches in the Indian Premier League 2026 after picking up a hamstring issue midway through the tournament and being used as an impact sub later on.
The former captain was picked in India’s squad for the Afghanistan ODI series on the subject of fitness clearance, which he received a few days ago, as he is ready to hit the ground running. Rohit also trained with the rest of the team members ahead of the series opener on June 13 in Dharamsala. During the training session on the eve of the game, he was seen wearing extra protection on his thigh to seemingly support his hamstring, which raised fresh concerns over his fitness.ย
Morne Morkel shuts down the fitness concerns
However, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel brushed aside the fitness concerns over Rohit and stated that he is ready to go. “I didn’t even notice that,” Morkel said on the eve of the series opener when asked about the thigh pad.
โIt just shows that I don’t think there’s any issue. He’s passed all his fitness tests. He’s cleared and ready to go. Obviously, the balls are coming at high speeds, and you want to protect yourself, even if there’s a slight niggle. But I can assure you there’s nothing wrong. Rohit is moving well and training well. So excited to see him go,โ he said.
โAlways nice to have his experience back as well. Just the calmness that he brings to the dressing room is always a positive to have. He’s training well, he’s moving well. So I know that he’s also excited to go,โ he added.
Who will bat in Kohli’s spot?
The coach was also asked who would win the No.3 spot in the absence of Virat Kohli, who is out of the series due to a hamstring injury of his own, which he picked up during his RCB’s win in the IPL 2026 final. “In terms of that number three slot, that’s something that in this series we’ll play around with. 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 the team and have different options,” he said.
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