IND vs AFG 1st ODI Live Score: Focus on Rohit Sharma after Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya ruled out due to injuries

India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI LIVE Score: Led by Shubman Gill, the Indian team will begin their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup with a three-match series against Afghanistan at home, starting with the first game in Dharamsala on Saturday.

The biggest news for India is the absence of star batter Virat Kohli, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury suffered during IPL 2026 final. Yashasvi Jaiswal was named as Kohli's replacement. Another notable miss for India would be all-rounder Hardik Pandya, also due to injury.

Barring Shubman, India's batting firepower includes regulars Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The task will be cut out for Nitish Kumar Reddy in Hardik's absence. Among bowlers, India have rested Japsrit Bumrah. Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh will lead the pace attack which also features uncapped duo of Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav.

For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan returns in ODIs after missing the one-off Test. Pacer Mohammad Saleem also makes a comeback into the ODI setup for the first time since 2023. Saleem was impressive in the one-off Test against India with figures of 6/140 in the first innings.

India vs Afghanistan first ODI probable XI

India: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar/Prince Yadav

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahman Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (Wicketkeeper) Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem, Allah Ghazanfar, Ziaur Rahman.