IND vs AFG: Rohit Sharma picked subject to fitness, Ishan Kishan back in ODI squad
India vs Afghanistan: The BCCI announced a 15-member squad, led by Shubman Gill. While Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been named despite fitness concerns, Rishabh Pant has lost his place.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-man squad for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, starting June 14 in Dharamsala. Shubman Gill will lead the side, which includes Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya after the selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, ended speculation over the two senior players’ inclusion. However, their selection remains subject to fitness clearance.
Sources told India Today earlier in the day that the selectors were waiting for clearance on Rohit and Hardik's fitness after the Mumbai Indians stars picked up injuries during the ongoing IPL 2026 campaign. Rohit Sharma has been playing as an Impact Player for MI in the second half of the IPL season.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant was dropped from the ODI squad after being removed as vice-captain of the Test team. Pant last played for India in 2024 in the 50-over format. He was part of India's Champions Trophy squad, but did not get a game. As recently as November 2025, Pant was named in the ODI squad for tour of Australia, but he was withdrawn after failing to recover from a foot injury he suffered during a Test series in England earlier in the year.
In his place, Ishan Kishan returns to India’s ODI setup for the first time since 2023. He was also named as India's second-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the Test squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting June 6 in New Chandigarh.
INDIA VS AFGHANISTAN ODI SQUAD
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
AXAR AND JADEJA DROPPED?
Usual suspects Virat Kohli, vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul have all been named in the series, which will be India's first 50-overs assignment after the IPL and the beginning of their road to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
However, senior pros Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been rested.
Explaining the call to rest Axar and Jadeja, Ajit Agarkar said: "With regard to one-day cricket, we have 15–16 months left to that World Cup. Somewhere around there, we want to obviously try and assess what our options are, particularly keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa, and give a little bit of exposure to some of the newer guys.
"We know what Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel can do. This is the time we try and give some opportunity to some of the other guys."
MAJOR TALKING POINTS: IND vs AFG ODI SQUAD
1. Rishabh Pant dropped, Ishan Kishan back.
2. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya picked subject to fitness.
2. Uncapped Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey named in both Test and ODI squads.
3. No place for Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.
4. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj rested.
5. Nitish Reddy picked alongside Hardik.
There have been a few surprises in the squad.
Ishan Kishan, who last played in 2023, has been brought back to the ODI and the Test squads. Rishabh Pant, who has been warming the benches as the second wicketkeeper in the ODI squad, has been dropped.
Meaanwhile, Prince Yadav, who is having a dream run with Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 with 16 wickets, has been handed his maiden ODI call-up. Prince recently made headlines with his unplayable delivery in LSG's win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru last week.
Along with Prince, Gurnoor Brar, a 25-year-old fast bowler from Punjab, has been named in both the Test and the ODI squads for the Afghanistan series.
Vidarbha and SunRisers Hyderabad spinner Harsh Dubey has also made the cut in both squads while Arshdeep Singh earns a recall to the ODI squad for the first time since 2023.