Virat Kohli has been ruled out of India’s three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after a hamstring injury sustained in the IPL 2026 final was later diagnosed as a distal semimembranosus tendon tear. The setback has forced selectors to look for a replacement immediately, with the series set to run from June 14 to June 20.
The timing matters because India need their ODI squad settled now, not later. A replacement is expected to be named soon, and Ruturaj Gaikwad has emerged as the leading contender to come in if Kohli cannot take his place. Gaikwad was only recently added to the India A squad after Riyan Parag was injured during the IPL, and that could open the door for Rajat Patidar to join the India A side for the tri-series in Sri Lanka involving Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A if Gaikwad moves up.
Kohli’s injury was not enough to stop him from finishing the final. He battled discomfort through Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s chase against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad and still ended unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls as RCB hunted down 156. It was a match-winning effort, and it also made the medical verdict more awkward: scans after the game showed the tendon tear, and staff advised him to take at least two weeks away from competitive cricket.
That is why the Afghanistan series is the first casualty. It is a short bilateral assignment, which makes a rushed return harder to justify, even for a batter who has been among India’s most reliable ODI run-scorers. Kohli made 651 runs in 13 ODIs in 2025, including three centuries and four fifties, and added 240 more runs in a three-match series against New Zealand in 2026, a record that underlines how much weight his absence carries.
The broader selection picture is already shifting beyond June. India are scheduled to tour England in July for a white-ball series featuring three ODIs, so the next squad call is about more than one replacement for one series. For now, the immediate question is whether the BCCI confirms Gaikwad or turns elsewhere, but the answer will shape both the senior ODI side and the India A setup before the calendar tightens again.
