Virat Kohli’s replacement named for Afghanistan ODIs, Agarkar gives positive fitness update

India head coach Ajit Agarkar has given an update on Virat Kohli’s injury and confirmed that the batsman will miss the upcoming ODI series in Afghanistan but could return for the England tour. Speaking at a press conference, Agarkar said, “Virat got injured in the IPL final, we don’t know the timeline, but it looks like he might be fit for the England series. Kohli suffered a hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 final on 31 May, where he remained unbeaten on 75 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, helping them to back-to-back IPL titles, while visibly struggling with discomfort. What was initially thought to be cramps has now been confirmed as a hamstring problem.He has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins on June 13 in Dharamsala, with matches in Lucknow and Chennai also on the schedule. In his absence, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a set against South Africa in his last ODI appearance, was named as his replacement. Kohli had a great IPL 2026 season, scoring 675 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.25 and a career-best strike rate of 165.85.India’s next ODI assignment will be the England series starting on July 14. Agarkar added that Kohli may be fit for the England ODIs and his availability will depend on how his recovery progresses in the coming weeks. India vs Afghanistan 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, Gurhna Krihna, Prince, Prasidh Dubey. Availability of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya depends on fitness.