Yashasvi Jaiswal’s entry in the team in Afghanistan ODI series, replaced Virat Kohli, suspense remains on the fitness of Rohit-Hardik.

Mumbai: Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan due to a muscle strain suffered during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in the team in place of Kohli for this series starting from June 13. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed this while announcing the Indian team for the upcoming T20 matches. He said that it is expected that Kohli will be able to play in the ODI series against England in mid-July.

Agarkar spoke about Virat

“It’s not even been a week since Virat got injured in the (IPL) final. We don’t know the exact timing yet. But it looks like he could be fit for the ODI series against England. This is not a definitive answer, so don’t take my word for it. I haven’t got any clear timeline from the physio yet,” Agarkar said.

Kohli was in tremendous form in the IPL. He scored 675 runs at a strike rate of 165.85 – one of his best performances so far in the IPL and helped RCB defend their IPL title. Jaiswal, who is not a regular player in the 50-over format for India, had scored an unbeaten century in the absence of Shubman Gill in his last ODI against South Africa six months ago.

Approval not given regarding Hardik and Rohit

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devjit Saikia said that the fitness clearance of Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma is being awaited before they can participate in the ODI series. Saikia confirmed, “Hardik is at the COE in Bengaluru. He is undergoing a rehabilitation programme. He will soon go for the final test and the process of getting him cleared will begin. Rohit will also go to the COE in the next two-three days. We are waiting for his final fitness clearance.”