Just hours after India secured a historic innings-and-300-run win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test at Mullanpur on June 8, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dropped an optimistic update on Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, claiming both players could return to action for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan.
Big update on Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya's fitness
Notably, Rohit missed a few games in the recently concluded IPL 2026 season because of a hamstring injury. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya also missed three games because of back spams. However, both of them came back to play for MI before the end of the season. Despite Rohit's return in action, the BCCI is said to be waiting for them to get checked up at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
“I don’t know the status of Hardik and Rohit’s fitness, but whatever I have heard, both may be fine," said Kotak after India's win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test.
Crucial time for Rohit and Hardik
However, there has been no official confirmation that either Rohit Sharma o Hardik Pandya has reported to the Centre of Excellence (CoE), although a few pictures making rounds on social media have sparked speculations. With the 2027 ODI World Cup now just over a year away, both players would look to stay in the contention, as competition for spots in India's team is set to get serious in the upcoming days.
Also Read: India script history with biggest-ever Test win, crush Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs
India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey