Sanju Samson In, Rohit Sharma Out- India ODI Squad vs Afghanistan Predicted

Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma - (Source: AFP)

IPL 2026 has reached its business end, and the BCCI has already begun planning for India’s upcoming tours. Notably, after the cash-studded league, the Men in Blue will lock horns against Afghanistan at home for a multi-format series. 

Notably, Afghanistan will kickstart the tour with a one-off Test from June 6 to 10. They will then shift the focus to three ODIs beginning from June 14-20. The question here is what the squad will look like. Will the board give rest to the players playing in the IPL?

Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli be there for the short series against a lower-ranked side. Most importantly, what will the future hold for the underperformers like Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. Therefore, this article will shed light on India’s predicted squad for Afghanistan ODIs.

India’s Predicted Squad For Afghanistan ODIs

Batters: Shubman Gill (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Sanju Samson (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal

In the batting unit, Shubman Gill will lead the side. Virat Kohli, too, will be there as he hardly gets to wear the Indian jersey these days, and the 37-year-old wouldn’t look to miss out on such opportunities to score runs. 

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However, Rohit Sharma might not be up for selection because the MI star is already struggling with his hamstring. Hence, considering his body and age in mind, the selectors might go ahead with Devdutt Padikkal in place of the Hitman.

Rest, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal will retain their place in the team. Notably, Sanju Samson is expected to replace Rishabh Pant as another keeper option.

All Rounders: Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy

In the all-rounders category, Washington Sundar will be there as the southpaw is also doing great with the bat in IPL 2026. Further, Axar Patel will replace Ravindra Jadeja as India will now not experiment because the 2027 ODI World Cup is getting closer. Hence, Axar will be the first choice ahead of Jadeja despite a poor IPL 2026 season.

Nitish Kumar Reddy will be there, and Hardik Pandya too will return after missing out on the New Zealand ODIs, which was India’s last ODI series before IPL 2026 and T20 World Cup 2026.

Bowlers: Mohd Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah , Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, 

Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah will return and form a formidable duo with Mohammed Siraj. Further, Ravi Bishnoi will be selected based on their performance in domestic tournament and IPL 2026.

Also, one bowler who impressed everyone the most in IPL 2026 is Prince Yadav. Therefore, it is expected that the board will hand him his maiden India call with this tour.

India's Predicted Squad For Afghanistan ODIs

Shubman Gill (C), Sanju Samson (Wk), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Mohd Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prince Yadav , Yashasvi Jaiswal

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