Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been fast-tracked into India's ODI squad for the three-match Afghanistan series, stepping in as Virat Kohli's replacement after the maestro's hamstring injury.
Virat Kohli is suffering from a hamstring injury, which has ruled him out of the series. The India stalwart had issues in the IPL 2026 final and needs a rest of around two to three weeks for full recovery, which effectively ruled him out of the series.
With Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya's fitness still under watch, this series in Dharamsala (starting June 13) becomes Ruturaj's golden ticket to cement his place ahead of bigger tours and the 2027 World Cup cycle.
Meanwhile, across the divide, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar
has earned a call-up to the India A side for the upcoming ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka, featuring Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A, starting June 9 in Dambulla.
Patidar, who replaced Gaikwad in the A setup, gets a timely platform to showcase his aggressive top-order batting and domestic firepower. Patidar had an outstanding outing in the IPL 2026 season as he led RCB to their second consecutive title.
Ruturaj Gaikwad gets a huge opportunity
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been presented a massive opportunity as the CSK skipper hasn't had the best of runs in recent times. It is to be seen how he uses this opportunity, as India's next ODI series will be in England in July. A decent performance against Afghanistan can open the door for Gaikwad in the 50-over format. The 29-year-old has played 9 ODIs for India so far, scoring 228 runs at an average of 28.5. Interestingly, Gaikwad's last ODI outing was also his maiden hundred against South Africa last year.
