Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey have earned their first call-ups to India’s ODI set-up after the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel named a 15-member squad for the three-match one-day series against Afghanistan. While established names such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain in the ODI frame, the availability of Rohit and Hardik Pandya is tied to fitness clearance. Pandya is currently dealing with a back problem and has not featured in the IPL 2026 matchday proceedings since May 2, when he last played for Mumbai Indians in a campaign that has already ended with the side out of the playoff picture. Rohit, meanwhile, has turned out in just seven of Mumbai’s 12 games so far, having suffered a right hamstring injury early in the season during a clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The selector’s ODI group is led by Shubman Gill, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan forming part of the core batting unit. The squad also includes Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, along with Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey. Also not part of this ODI list are Ayush Badoni, Dhruv Jurel and Harshit Rana, with Rana marked as injured.
Ishan Kishan returns to the ODI roster after a recent run in the T20 format, including his impact in the T20 portion against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup that followed. His most recent ODI prior to this selection came during the 2023 World Cup, and he is also fresh from a modest Vijay Hazare Trophy outing where he played three matches and struck a century in one of them. In addition, workload management has kept Jasprit Bumrah out of the series, while Mohammed Siraj is only part of the Test squad setup. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are also excluded from the ODI plans, with Dubey getting the nod instead as part of a broader strategy to widen the pool of options and evaluate players with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind.
Agarkar explained the thinking behind the selections, pointing out that India have a 15 to 16-month runway before that World Cup. He said the team wants to review possible combinations, factor in the likely playing conditions in South Africa, and give exposure to newer faces. He also stressed that the selectors are not starting from scratch with the skill sets, noting that players like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are already well known, and that the current phase is about creating chances for others to prove themselves. Agarkar added that the panel is particularly looking for players who can contribute with the bat in the lower order while also having the craft to operate as a frontline spinner or seam bowler, and he believes Dubey fits that profile. He further remarked that over the last couple of years there has been enough evidence to suggest Dubey has the skills needed to succeed at this level.
For the pace department in the 50-over matches, Prince and Gurnoor are expected to join Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. Prince impressed in the Vijay Hazare Trophy by taking 18 wickets across eight games, finishing as his side’s leading wicket-taker and also ending as the fifth-highest wicket taker overall in the tournament, with an average of 19.27. Brar, representing Punjab, matched the tournament grind with 11 wickets in eight matches in the same competition.
On why Prince and Gurnoor were chosen, Agarkar pointed to the fact that a couple of players who had been part of earlier one-day plans were unavailable due to injury. With Gurnoor, he said there has been visible progress over the last year and a half, describing him as a tall quick with pace and potential. Keeping the South Africa World Cup in view, Agarkar said the panel intends to test a few players who might become useful as they keep developing. For Prince Yadav, he cited the promise shown throughout the domestic season and added that Prince also bowled well in the IPL. Agarkar noted that Prince has grown significantly as a bowler over the past year or so and that he possesses the skills required for white-ball cricket.
He also highlighted the nature of the upcoming ODI stretch, stressing that with the way modern rules are structured and how much advantage batting can receive, the selectors are focusing on conditions in South Africa and backing players who have a realistic shot at succeeding there. The ODI series follows an earlier one-off Test between India and Afghanistan. The first ODI is scheduled for June 14 in Dharamsala, with the second and third matches taking place in Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20 respectively. All three one-day internationals will be day-night contests, with the start time set at 1:30 PM IST.
