India are without senior batter Virat Kohli against Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. The 37-year-old has been ruled out with a hamstring injury he suffered during the IPL 2026.ย
His absence stems from a distal semimembranosus tendon tear, sustained during the final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. The injury involves damage to a hamstring tendon close to the knee and has been described as an unusual setback for a professional athlete. He had already been withdrawn from the three-match ODI series last week.
Medical assessments indicated a relatively short recovery window of a few weeks, which could have made him available for the final match of the series on June 20. However, selectors opted against accelerating his return, with wider international commitments in Europe and an ODI series in England later in the summer influencing the decision.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as Kohliโs replacement in the squad. However, the youngstrer failed to break into the playing XI. Ishan Kishan will be replacing him and bat below openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma.ย
India announce two debutants in playing XI
Two debutants has been named in Indiaโs squad. Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar were given the caps by KL Rahul and Shubman, respectively. They have done remarkably well in the domestic circuit and has been rewarded for the same.ย
India to bowl first
India won the toss and elected to field first in Dharamsala. Captain Shubman explained that the overcast conditions have played a part in the team opting to bowl first. He also confirmed the news of the two debutants.ย
โWe will bowl first. It’s a bit overcast, so the bowlers might get some help. Looks like a good surface, good wicket to bat on, could be something early on for the pacers,โ Gill said.ย
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
Also Read: