India’s Probable XI for ODI series against Afghanistan:Prince pace-contender over Arshdeep; can Yashasvi Jaiswal fill Virat Kohli’s boots?

After a landmark win against Afghanistan in only the Test by an innings and 300 runs, the Indian camp will now be looking forward to the ODI series against Afghanistan. The three-match series will be played at the Dharamshala Stadium in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. Notably, it is the first-ever bilateral ODI series hosted by India featuring the two teams. Before this series, India and Afghanistan had never played a bilateral One-Day International series on Indian soil. In this ODI series, two Indian pacers are likely to mark their debut for the men’s senior national team in separate matches as management might try different combinations. Moreover, since Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have received the fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, they are also expected to show up in the series. In addition to it, Gautam Gambhir and management will also eye how to audition new names like Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, and Gurnoor Brar as well. Who’ll finally make it to the final XI, who’ll miss out? Let’s check it out in this story… India’s Possible Playing XI for ODI series vs Afghanistan Shubman-Rohit to form the opening pair Captain Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma can be seen opening the innings as the latter has been cleared for the ODI series. Shubman Gill has been in red-hot form this year, slamming 732 runs in IPL 2026, and even hit 490 runs in 11 games. Moreover, he also smashed two tons and two half-centuries. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma might have had a rough IPL season with injuries and poor form, but he scored 650 runs in just 14 games that included four fifties and two hundreds. He was India’s second-highest run scorer in ODIs in 2025. Can Yashasvi Jaiswal fill Virat Kohli’s boots at no.3? After Virat Kohli was ruled out of the ODI series vs Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury, the BCCI officially announced that Yashasvi Jaiswal will replace India’s highest ODI run-scorer in 2025. Ishan Kishan is also a top pick for the number 3, but KL Rahul is already in the squad and plays well in the lower middle order. Jaiswal just played four ODI games in 2025, but he was quick with the runs, scoring 171 runs that included one hundred. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan might get a chance at KL’s spot in the 2nd or 3rd ODI. Ishan did not play for India in one-day internationals for the last two years, but in 2023, he scored 456 runs in 17 games, with four half-centuries. He was also marvellous with the bat, smashing 602 runs (15 matches) in IPL 2026. Meanwhile, vice captain Shreyas Iyer is expected to bat at number 4, followed by KL Rahul at number 5 and Hardik Pandya at number 6. How will Hardik Pandya bounce back from IPL 2026 horror? IPL 2026 was another forgettable season for Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya, as not only his team got eliminated, but he did not impress with bat and ball. In the 10 innings that he played this year in IPL, Pandya scored 206 runs in 10 innings and took 4 wickets in 9 innings that he bowled. Moreover, the issue regarding Hardik Pandya’s ability to bowl all 10 overs has been a concern for a very long time. Despite being cleared by the Sports Science team for competitive cricket, it’ll be worth watching if Hardik stays the same under crunch situations. If he flops or rests for a game, Nitish Reddy is expected to get a chance, who smashes 302 runs in 14 games in IPL 2026. Washington-Hardik to form all-rounder foundation Washington Sundar and Hardik Pandya will be the team’s two main all-rounders. Against Australia, Washington stepped up to take 4 important wickets in the 3rd ODI. He was also clinical during the home series against South Africa Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya’s performance will be worth watching. His clutch batting and additional pace option give an edge to the team in the middle overs, given he is in form. In case of Hardik missing out, Nitish Reddy is expected to play in the Blues against Afghanistan. Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar expected to be part of playing XI in at least one ODI With Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel not being part of the squad, India might go with spin all-rounder Harsh Dubey, since the management has already entrusted Manav Suthar in Test. So Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey might get a chance to make his ODI debut. Harsh Dubey made Vidarbha champions by taking the most wickets (69) in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Meanwhile, Gurnoor Brar, with 6 feet 5 inches of stature, took 11 wickets in eight matches during Punjab’s run to the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-finals. Arshdeep vs Prince: Will Gambhir reward the youngster? Arshdeep Singh has been a key part of India’s pace attack since last year in every format. However, his lingering issue with the wide deliveries and extras is a concern. The moment he loses his line and length or misses the wide yorker, he gets thrashed for boundaries to third man and fine leg. Meanwhile, Prince Yadav’s discipline with the ball secured him the prized wicket of Virat Kohli in IPL 2026. His strength is the ideal length at which he bowls, resulting in the movement of the ball. Prince grabbed 16 wickets in 14 games that he played at an economy of 8.83. So it’ll be worth watching if Gambhir entrusts the pacer in this series. Possible Playing XI: Team India to play 3 ODI matches against Afghanistan India will play a 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The first ODI will be on June 14 in Dharamshala, the second on June 17 in Lucknow, and the third on June 20 in Chennai. All three ODI matches will start at 1:30 PM. Notably, both teams have only ever faced each other in India for a One-off Test in 2026 or at neutral locations (like the World Cup in 2023), so it will be the first one-day bilateral series between the nations.