India's ODI road resumes with Afghanistan challenge

For the better part of the last two years, India's cricketing world has revolved around T20Is. Selections, workload management and medium-term planning were all viewed through the lens of a T20 World Cup that culminated successfully only recently. With the next World Cup to be played in the ODI format, and now just over a year away, this should be the point where attention begins to turn towards 50-over cricket.

Instead, India's first ODI assignment since that T20 World Cup comes with several caveats. Injuries and workload management, perhaps an inevitable consequence of the amount of all-format cricket India play, have left them with a pace attack that may only faintly resemble the one they'll hope to field in South Africa next year.

However, those caveats have also opened the door for uncapped seamers Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav, who are expected to get opportunities during the three-match series. Virat Kohli's injury absence leaves India with a decision to make at No. 3, a position bowling coach Morne Morkel indicated they could "play around with", further suggesting it could be filled by "Ishan or KL or Yashasvi".

All of which comes against the backdrop of a rare ODI stumble. India's home series defeat to New Zealand was their third of this World Cup cycle, and their first at home since 2016 to a team that's not Australia. It was a reminder that there are still a few boxes left to tick.

Standing in front of them are Afghanistan, a side that's won five of their six ODI series in this World Cup cycle, including a victory over South Africa in the UAE. This three-match series against India, then, is an opportunity to measure themselves against one of the world's best sides in conditions that will be much more batting-friendly than the slow-low pitches in the UAE.

Both teams will also recognise the significance of the venue. The bounce, carry and pace on offer in Dharamsala are perhaps as close as it gets in the subcontinent to the conditions they are likely to encounter in South Africa next year. Which makes this first ODI a useful checkpoint in both teams' World Cup preparations.

When:1st ODI, 13 June 2026 at 1:30 PM local

Where:Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

What to expect:There has been plenty of rain in the lead-up to the game, with more forecast on match day. That should help the fast bowlers, particularly with the new ball, and make the toss an interesting call. While chasing has generally been the preferred option in white-ball cricket, the five ODIs played here during the 2023 World Cup saw three won by the team batting first.

Team news

India

While Hardik Pandya is ruled out of the series, the focus will be on how Nitish Reddy steps up to fill in. Rohit Sharma meanwhile is all set to feature after getting a go-ahead from the CoE. India are likely to hand a debut cap to one from Brar and Prince.

Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar/Prince Yadav

Afghanistan

Rashid Khan didn't play the one-off Test but his presence in the white-ball setup will bolster Afghanistan's attack. Mohammad Saleem, who picked a six-wicket haul in the Mullanpur Test, last played an ODI in July 2023 but might get a look in.

Probable XI:Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami/Mohammad Saleem

Did you know?

• India lead 3-0 in four ODIs against Afghanistan, with one of them ending in a tie.

• Rashid Khan has 27 wickets in 14 ODIs, at an average of 14 and a SR of 21.7, post the 2023 World Cup

• In this World Cup cycle, Afghanistan have bowled nearly 61 of their overs through spin, the most by a Full Member nation in this period.

What they said:

"For me, it is just taking the learnings from South Africa, taking the learnings from New Zealand and looking for improvement in our white-ball game, especially in our 50-over game. That's a goal now for Afghanistan, for West Indies, looking for small improvements and making sure when we come, you know, to the World Cup next year, we're peaking at the right time" - Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach

"We will test ourselves and see where our team stands against a quality side like India. We have played good cricket in the ODI format in recent times, and it should be a good challenge for both teams" - Hashmatullah Shahidi