India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has admitted that the Men in Blue will miss the services of Virat Kohli in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The legendary batter has been ruled out of the home assignment after sustaining a hamstring injury during the final of the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. While Kohli's absence is a significant setback, Morkel warmly welcomed the return of fellow veteran Rohit Sharma, noting that the Indian skipper has completed his rehabilitation and is 'excited to go' for the series opener.
Virat Kohli's absence is a big miss: Morne Morkel
The availability of both iconic players had been a major talking point for Team India, as both now feature exclusively in the ODI format and have been battling fitness concerns. While Kohli focuses on recovery, Rohit successfully wrapped up his injury rehab at the Centre of Excellence (COE) to regain full fitness just in time for the international fixtures. Following India's dominant victory in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan, the focus now shifts to the white-ball leg, with the first ODI scheduled to kick off in Dharamsala on June 13.
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Addressing the media ahead of the series opener, Morkel emphasised that losing Kohli is a massive blow to the team's tactical plans. He highlighted that the masterful batsman's immense experience and unmatched ability to anchor the innings during the tricky middle overs are virtually irreplaceable. Nonetheless, Kohli's absence opens up a crucial window for the team management to test their bench strength and experiment with new batting combinations against a spirited Afghan bowling attack.
"Obviously a big miss, with Virat. He is one of the senior players in the team. The way he goes about his innings in that middle phase especially is something we'll miss. Unfortunately, we can't control injuries and all of that. It's a new opportunity for somebody now in this series to go out and fulfil that role. And we're excited and looking forward to that," Morkel said at the pre-match press conference.
Morne Morkel on India's no.3 riddle sans Kohli
The absence of Kohli has presented the Indian team management with a clear selection dilemma for the crucial number three batting position. Morkel revealed that the team will adopt a highly flexible strategy. Rather than appointing a fixed, straight replacement to fill the top-order void, management is prepared to rotate different players into the slot depending on the match situation.
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When asked about who exactly would step into Kohli's shoes, Morkel highlighted three prominent names: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ishan Kishan. He indicated that these three distinct top-order options provide the team with the versatility to rotate batters based on specific match situations and tactical requirements throughout the series.
“I think that’s something that in this series we’ll play around with, [whether] it’s Ishan (Kishan) or K.L. (Rahul) or Yashsasvi (Jaiswal). We have got a couple of one-day games coming up, and we’ll give guys an opportunity in different slots to give ourselves a better idea of how we can structure teams and have different options,” Morkel concluded.