3 players who could replace Virat Kohli in IND vs AFG ODI series if he is ruled out
Virat Kohli has been suffering from hamstring issues since IPL 2026.
India and Afghanistan are set to clash in three ODIs from June 13 to 20. Veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli has been picked in India’s squad for the ODI series against Afghanistan.
However, he is highly likely to be ruled out of the campaign due to a hamstring injury. Kohli recently played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026. He suffered hamstring issues while batting in the final against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Kohli is a crucial top-order batter for India, and his ouster will be a big blow for India. In this listicle, let’s take a glance at the 3 players who could replace Virat Kohli in the IND vs AFG ODI series if he is ruled out.
3 replacements for Virat Kohli in the IND vs AFG ODI series
3. Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal is part of the Test squad against Afghanistan but absent from the ODI series. He recently played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026 and impressed with his performance.
Ahead of IPL 2026, he also gave a brilliant show in domestic campaigns for Karnataka. In Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 725 runs in 9 games, including four centuries.
2. Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma is another batter who can replace Virat Kohli in India’s squad for the ODIs against Afghanistan. He is a regular member of the T20I team but has also featured in five ODI games in the past. He has scored 68 runs in four innings, including a half-century.
He was part of the ODI series against South Africa in December 2025. Varma also showed decent form for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, scoring 359 runs in 14 games with a century and two fifties.
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Like Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad also bats at the one-down position. He has played 9 ODI games so far, scoring 228 runs at an average of 28.50.
He last played in the ODI series against South Africa in December. He impressed with his performance, scoring 113 runs in two games at an average of 56.50, including a century.
Gaikwad led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2026, where he struggled with his form. With two half-centuries, he scored 337 runs in 14 games.
Why is Virat Kohli doubtful for IND vs AFG ODI series?
Kohli is doubtful to play in the series due to a hamstring injury.
When did Virat Kohli last play for India?
He last played for India in the ODI series against New Zealand in January.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.