5 talking points for India ahead of Afghanistan ODIs:Rohit Sharma’s form, inexperienced pace attack; Jaiswal or Ishan to replace Virat Kohli?

With the one-off Test done and dusted, the action in the India vs Afghanistan series now heads to the ODIs, where three matches will be played between these teams. The ODI series will start on 13 June at the picturesque HPCA (Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association) stadium in Dharamshala. The India vs Afghanistan ODI series will be of importance to both teams with the 2027 World Cup coming up in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Not just that, but from Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya’s absences to Shubman Gill’s captaincy- there are a lot of talking points in the India vs Afghanistan ODI series. Let’s take a look at them. 1) Who will replace Virat Kohli at number 3? One of the biggest questions that has surfaced heading into the India vs Afghanistan ODI series is the one on Virat Kohli’s replacement. The star cricketer, after a successful IPL campaign, was ruled out of the ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury. It has to be noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) included Yashasvi Jaiswal as a replacement. But it remains to be seen if Jaiswal is drafted into the playing XI as a like-for-like replacement for Virat. Among the possible contenders is captain Shubman Gill. Although an established opener in the ODI setup, the Afghanistan ODI series can see Gill drop down to number three. What that’ll do is make room for Jaiswal to open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma and bat in his normal position. The next option for Team India is Ishan Kishan. After a successful T20 World Cup 2026 campaign and IPL, the left-hander is back in the ODI scheme of things. With the 2027 ODI World Cup preparations in place, it would not be too bad an idea to have Kishan bat at number three. This might just be the correct way Team India can utilise Kishan’s good form instead of warming the bench. The third option to replace Virat at number three is Jaiswal. The left-hander scored a century in his last ODI appearance, against South Africa last year and is already tipped as an all-format player, given his batting skills against both the white and red balls. Although number three is not his original position, Jaiswal can make the most of Virat’s absence and should he succeed, it would be difficult for the management to look past him come the 2027 ODI World Cup. 2) Shubman Gill’s poor ODI captaincy record Another area of focus would be how Gill captains the ODI team. Named successor to Rohit Sharma just in Tests last year, Gill has had it tough in the short time he has been Team India’s ODI captain. The sample size might not be enough to judge his captaincy in ODIs. The right-hander has led India in six ODIs so far and won just two of them, with the other four resulting in losses. With the 2027 ODI World Cup in focus, Gill’s captaincy is certainly set to be highlighted. There could also be pressure to perform for Gill, in the presence of Iyer, his vice-captain, who already has had accolades to speak of. Iyer was recently named India’s new T20I captain, and although his taking up the same role in ODIs might not be a possibility before the 2027 ODI World Cup, it could be a prospect later in the future. 3) Inexperienced bowling attack A concern for Team India in the ODIs against Afghanistan is the inexperienced bowling attack. There’s no Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, and in their absence, Prasidh Krishna (23 ODIs) and Arshdeep Singh (15 ODIs) are among the most experienced ones in the current squad. With a visible lack of experience, it remains to be seen how the Indian pacers perform against Afghanistan batters, who are more or less used to the conditions, having had considerable IPL experience. Plus, there are also newcomers in Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar. Their presence might contribute to the inexperience factor, but one also cannot rule out the possibility of them bringing in the surprise element in the ODIs. 4) Rohit Sharma’s form Having retired from T20Is in 2024 and Tests in 2025, Rohit remains solely focused on ODIs and to be frank, he has not had bad numbers to show for in the format since 2025. Rohit has amassed 711 runs with four fifties and one century in ODIs since last year. But his recent form does pose a concern for Team India. The Hitman had an injury-riddled IPL 2026 campaign where he scored 283 runs in nine appearances and missed games due to a hamstring injury. The BCCI did clear him for the Afghanistan ODIs, and there will be a focus on his form. In his last ODI series against New Zealand, Rohit had managed just 61 runs in three games earlier this year. 5) Hardik Pandya’s replacement question Hardik Pandya’s participation, much like Rohit’s, was subject to fitness clearance, and he was given the green light for the Afghanistan ODI series. But the all-rounder, who has had injuries of late, suffered a quadricep strain that would keep him out of action for these three matches. The question now arises- who replaces him? Nitish Kumar Reddy is a like-for-like replacement for Pandya, but it remains to be seen if he can fill the massive gap left by the 32-year-old. Although he has played just four ODIs, Reddy has been part of India’s last two assignments in the 50-over format and will look to maximise this opportunity to cement his place in the team. Moreover, there’s also Harsh Dubey to look at, who, although he isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Pandya, is more than a handy spin-bowling all-rounder.