Ruturaj Gaikwad Likely to Replace Injured Virat Kohli in India’s ODI Series Against Afghanistan
Virat Kohli is expected to miss India's upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan due to injury. Reports suggest Ruturaj Gaikwad could be named as his replacement for the three-match series beginning on June 13.
Prasanth Subramani
India may be forced to make a key change to its squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan, with reports indicating that Virat Kohli could miss the series due to injury.
The three-match ODI series against Afghanistan National Cricket Team is scheduled to begin on June 13. Kohli's reported injury has come as a major setback for Team India and has surprised cricket fans ahead of the important series.
Afghanistan's tour of India includes one Test match and a three-match ODI series. The Test match between the two sides is scheduled to begin on June 6, followed by the ODI fixtures.
The announced Indian ODI squad is led by Shubman Gill, with Shreyas Iyer serving as vice-captain. The squad also includes Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Washington Sundar among others.
With Kohli's availability in doubt, reports suggest that Ruturaj Gaikwad is the leading candidate to replace the star batter in the ODI squad.
Gaikwad has represented India in eight One Day Internationals and scored 228 runs. He also boasts an impressive record in List A cricket, having accumulated 5,060 runs in 99 matches, highlighting his consistency and ability in the 50-over format.
Kohli, meanwhile, remains one of the most accomplished players in ODI history. The former India captain has scored 14,797 runs in 311 ODI matches, including 54 centuries and 77 half-centuries. Across 347 List A matches, he has amassed 16,447 runs.
An official announcement regarding Kohli's replacement is yet to be made, but Gaikwad is widely expected to receive the opportunity if the veteran batter is ruled out of the series.
