Virat Kohli ruled out of Afghanistan ODI series

Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the Afghanistan ODI series after suffering a hamstring injury. According to PTI, the veteran will not be able to recover for three matches. It is a big blow for the Indian team ahead of the bilateral assignment that was supposed to start the preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

He was expected to lead the batting charts after his dominating performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League 2026, but his plans of returning to international cricket have been delayed. 

He scored a match-winning half-century in the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. RCB won their second consecutive IPL title on May 31. At 37, he is still one of the fittest cricketers. In 16 matches, the legendary batter amassed 675 runs at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84. Kohli was Bengaluru's highest run-getter in the 19th season and the fourth overall.

"He has been ruled out of the ODI series due to a hamstring injury," a BCCI source told the news agency.

The fifty-over matches are scheduled to start on  June 13 in Dharamsala, and Kohli's absence will be felt, considering he plays only one format in international cricket after retiring from T20Is and Test cricket.

Virat has been consistent with the bat in the ODIs as was the leading run-scorer in the fifty-over format in 2025, accumulating 651 runs in 13 innings at an average of 65.10 and a strike rate of 96.15. He recorded four centuries and three half-centuries as India won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. He was named the Player of the Series against South Africa and also returned to the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings after a gap of four years.

Despite his unstoppable run, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have refused to confirm his place for the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, Kohli is not ready to given and represented Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last season, scoring 208 runs in just two matches.  He posted 131 off 101 balls against Andhra and a fifty against Gujarat. He went past great Sachin Tendulkar to become the fastest batter to 16,000 List A runs.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma's availability is also subject to fitness after the veteran was impacted by hamstring issues in the IPL. He went on to miss a few games for the Mumbai Indians.