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India vs Afghanistan ODI series: India's swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya was included in the squad for three-ODI series against Afghanistan but his participation was subject to fitness. After a disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain where he missed a few games due to back spasms, Pandya is set to report to Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
As per a report by TOI, Pandya will report to CoE on June 2 and spend over a week there leading up to the ODI series against Afghanistan. He is expected to undergo fitness drills and match simulations during his stay at CoE before getting RTP (Return to Play).
The 32-year-old's last ODI appearance was in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand.
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The report further states that former India skipper Rohit Sharma was also instructed to report to CoE. Rohit who suffered a hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 was also named in the ODI squad with an asterisk against his name as his participation subject to clearance.
What MI head coach said on Rohit’s fitness
Over a week ago, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene had claimed that Rohit has recovered from the hamstring injury and is at 100 per cent.
“Yes, he had a hamstring injury. We gave him the time that he needed to recover from that and then he came back," Jayawardene had said in a press conference.
“The first game also, we were cautious even with his batting, the way he was running because he had to adapt to it slowly, gradually coming back into it. But for me, the medical team, everything is 100%."
There were doubts over Rohit’s fitness as he was playing as an impact player but Jayawardene said that it is a decision taken as per team’s requirement.
“To be honest, I don’t think about the Indian team or what their requirement is when I am assembling a team for Mumbai Indians. Rohit understands that he is a team player. He understands what is required for Mumbai Indians,"
India’s ODI squad for ODI series vs Afghanistan:
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
The ODI series is scheduled to begin on June 13 at Dharamsala's HPCA Stadium. The second ODI will be played on June 17 in Lucknow's Ekana Cricket Stadium. The teams will then travel to Chennai for third ODI on June 20.
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