India’s Squad Depth to be Tested In First ODI Series Against Afghanistan

by Devesh Jaganath

image India’s Squad Depth to be Tested In First ODI Series Against Afghanistan
The first-ever bilateral ODI series between India and Afghanistan gets underway this afternoon at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. This three-match series will also kick off preparations for both teams leading up to the highly anticipated 2027 ICC World Cup.

Fresh Faces Set To Feature For India in Dharamshala ODI

Following their record-breaking victory in the one-off Test in Mallanpur earlier this week, India will now turn their attention to the 50-over format, with their first bilateral ODI series against Afghanistan set to kick off today at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. 

India have never lost an ODI match to Afghanistan (3 wins, 1 tie)!

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have called up a fair few faces for this series - some enforced and some tactical - as they look to build toward the 2027 ICC World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. 

As discussed in our cricket predictions, the Men in Blue suffered a couple of major setbacks in the lead-up to this series. The first came with Virat Kohli being ruled out due to a hamstring injury, while the second was the withdrawal of Hardik Pandya, who sustained a thigh strain during training in midweek. 

Kohli has been in sensational form in the ODI format for India, scoring 616 runs in his last seven matches at an average of 123.20. The BCCI have confirmed that King Kohli will be replaced by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who notched up a century in his last match against Afghanistan. 

Notably, both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested for this three-match series. Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and spinner Harsh Dubey have all earned first-time call-ups, with at least two of them expected to make their debut today. 

This will also be a big test for Shubman Gill, who is still searching for his first series win since taking over captaincy of the ODI team last year. His first series in charge ended in a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Australia back in October 2025. 

 

Afghanistan Carrying Good 50-Over Form Into ODI Series 

While Afghanistan have never beaten India in a 50-over match before, they will enter this series with confidence, having won their last four ODIs, while their A-team also secured a victory over the Men in Blue in a tri-series matchup in Sri Lanka earlier this week. 

The Afghan Atalans also had a strong showing at the 2023 World Cup in India, where they came up agonisingly short of the semi-finals. They have retained the core of the team that featured in that tournament, though this is the first time they are playing an ODI since last October. 

Hashmatullah Shahidi’s team have been bolstered by the return of star spinner Rashid Khan, who missed the Mallanpur Test. Much will rely on the team’s spin trio of Khan, AM Ghazanfar and veteran Mohammad Nabi to challenge the might of India in this series.