Virat Kohli ruled out of ODI series against Afghanistan

MUMBAI: India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the ODI series against Afghanistan, according to Indian media.

Virat Kohli will not be able to participate in the series due to a hamstring injury. Indian media says that Virat Kohli’s replacement will be decided soon.

It should be remembered that the three-match ODI series between India and Afghanistan will start on June 13.

India is likely to get a new captain for the upcoming T20 series against Ireland and England, and Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer is being tipped as the frontrunner.

His possible appointment seems to be ending the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to the T20 World Cup title in March.

According to Indian media reports, head coach Gautam Gambhir will be consulted before taking a final decision on Suryakumar Yadav’s future.

The selectors are currently considering a long-term strategy under which the incoming captain can lead the team for the next two T20 World Cups.

It should be noted that India won the T20 World Cup under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, but his poor batting remained a question mark.

His form in IPL 2026 was also not impressive, as he scored only 270 runs in 13 matches for the Mumbai Indians, and the team finished ninth.

Shreyas Iyer has the edge in this captaincy race based on his experience and runs in the IPL.

However, Tilak Verma and Ishan Kishan are being considered as the main dark horse candidates in this race. If Shreyas Iyer is given the captaincy, one of them will likely be the vice-captain of the Indian T20 team.