Virat Kohli’s return to India’s international schedule has hit a speed bump after the former captain was reported to be sidelined with a hamstring problem. A PTI report said Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan, a setback that comes just as the national team was preparing to use the tournament as a lead-in to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The injury is likely to delay Kohli’s intended comeback after the conclusion of IPL 2026. The expectation had been that he would rejoin India’s 50-over setup once the league stage finished, but the hamstring issue has forced a rethink. Kohli was in the spotlight throughout IPL 2026, and his form looked as sharp as ever heading into the final.
Last Sunday in Ahmedabad, Kohli played a decisive hand in the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans, producing a match-winning half-century that helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure their second straight title. Even at 37, he had built a reputation for exceptional fitness, and the tournament seemed to validate that again. Across the campaign, he scored 675 runs in 16 innings at 56.25, striking at 165.84. He finished as RCB’s leading run-getter and the fourth-highest scorer overall in the competition. “He is out of the ODI series due to a hamstring injury,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
The timing of Kohli’s absence will be felt immediately, with the ODI series scheduled to begin on June 13 in Dharamsala. Losing a batter of Kohli’s calibre naturally reduces the focus around the squad’s preparations for the World Cup cycle, especially when the team is aiming to build momentum through the early fixtures.
While Kohli’s hamstring concern complicates the immediate plan, it also arrives after a significant period of scrutiny around his international future. Even discussions around his next steps were being held in the corridors of BCCI headquarters in Mumbai following his retirement from T20Is and Tests. Kohli, however, had responded in the most convincing way possible through his 50-over performances. In 2025, he finished as the leading run-scorer in India’s preferred format, compiling 651 runs from 13 innings with an average of 65.10 and a strike rate of 96.15. That haul featured four centuries and three half-centuries, alongside a successful ICC Champions Trophy run, a Player of the Series award against South Africa, and a return to the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings for the first time in four years.
Yet even with those achievements, the selectors and team management stopped short of formally confirming that Kohli had locked in his place in India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Rather than waiting for the call to be fully cemented, Kohli continued to signal his intent by showing up in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last season. He scored 208 runs in only two matches there, including a 131 off 101 balls against Andhra and a half-century versus Gujarat. Those displays helped him move past Sachin Tendulkar as the quickest batter to reach 16,000 List A runs.
Attention now also turns to India’s captaincy and leadership structure for the Afghanistan series. It remains to be seen whether Rohit Sharma will be available for the full stretch of matches. His participation, as clarified by chief selector Ajit Agarkar when the squad was announced, is described as dependent on fitness following a hamstring injury that had affected his IPL appearances.
