IND vs AFG 2026: India's probable playing XI against Afghanistan

The upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan will see the Indian team go into the series without the services of experienced batter Virat Kohli and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. While Kohli has been going through a hamstring injury, Pandya dealt with a blow to his quadriceps during rehabilitation ahead of the series. As a result, India's squad looks a little underpowered at the moment.

At some point in time in the series, the Men in Blue might hand debut caps to up to three fresh faces – Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, and Prince Yadav – with all of them in line to make their maiden international appearance. Shubman Gill, the wrecker-in-chief, has a huge responsibility on his shoulders alongside the think tank to make a match-winning combination for the all-important series.

Here is India's predicted playing XI for the ODI series against Afghanistan

Top-order: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer

India's opening combination looks set with former captain Rohit Sharma and current skipper Shubman Gill. While Rohit is synonymous with following an attacking approach right from the word 'go', Gill has been a watchful batter at the start and slowly picks up pace once his eyes are set it. This makes the perfect batting combination. If either of them is injured, Yashasvi Jaiswal, the backup, will come into play.

With Virat Kohli missing from the series, India might want to give an opportunity to Ishan Kishan at number three. Kishan has shown over the years that he is someone who can don multiple hats with respect to his batting positions. Shreyas, the vice-captain, who has been a consistent performer for the team at number four, will hold onto his usual batting order.