Dharamsala: Rohit Sharma’s match fitness will be tested but India’s team management would also closely monitor Nitish Kumar Reddy’s performance as a back-up for injury-prone Hardik Pandya when they formally begin their 2027 World Cup preparations with the first ever ODI series against Afghanistan here on Saturday.
Having nursed a hamstring niggle during the IPL, Rohit has managed to regain full fitness just in time for the three games against Afghanistan while top draw Virat Kohli will miss the series due to a rare hamstring injury.
As India plan for the World Cup in South Africa in October-November 2027, there are doubts over whether the 39-year-old Rohit can last till the ODI showpiece.
India are scheduled to play 25 odd ODIs before the mega event, giving the team enough time to experiment with players and combinations.
With two losses in three series, the start to Shubman Gill’s ODI captaincy has not been smooth and working alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir, he would be looking to expand his footprint in the dressing room.
Shubman and Rohit are expected to open the innings while there would be a toss-up between comeback man Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal at number three in Kohli’s absence.
Newly appointed T20 captain Shreyas Iyer will bat at number four. Both Rohit and Shreyas linked with the India squad in Chandigarh before the team travelled to the picturesque hill town on Thursday.
K L Rahul, the number one wicket-keeper batter in the side, is part of the middle-order and Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to follow him in the batting line-up at number six.
Reddy’s batting credentials have never been in doubt but whether he can consistently do the job with the ball as Hardik’s back-up remains to be seen.
Like Hardik, Reddy too has had his fair share of injuries and the selectors would be keen to see if he is good enough to last 10 overs with his medium pace.
Reddy did make his presence felt with both bat and ball in the IPL and he would aim to replicate that form in one-day cricket.
The ball travels fast in the high altitude of Dharamsala with the pitch usually offering decent pace and bounce.
The other all-rounder in the side would be off-spinner Washington Sundar while the second spin option is likely to be Kuldeep Yadav, who has not been in the best of forms but will carry the confidence of 194 wickets in 120 ODIs.
Uncapped left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who can also bat, is another spin option in the squad.
Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna form the pace battery while Prince Yadav or Gurnoor Brar could make their international debut as the third fast bowler.
Both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested from the series for workload management.
Afghanistan, who were outplayed in India in the one-off Test, are a far better white-ball side.
They would be bolstered by the return of Rashid Khan, who has shelved red-ball cricket for the time being following a back surgery.
Veteran Mohammed Nabi will also lend balance to the side led by Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Afghanistan would take heart from their ODI World Cup performance in India back in 2023 when they nearly made the semi-finals.
Pacer Mohammad Saleem, who took a six-wicket haul in the Test in Chandigarh, has been duly added to the ODI squad.
Players who played in the brutal heat of Mullanpur would be more than happy to take the field in the cooler climes of Dharamsala with the snow-capped mountains forming a breathtaking backdrop.
Squads:
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India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Fareed Ahmad Malik, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
