New Delhi: Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli was on Thursday ruled our of the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury.
The three-match series begins on June 13 in Dharamsala.
“He is out of the ODI series due to a hamstring injury,” a BCCI source told PTI.
Kohli appeared to struggle while running during the closing stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Despite the discomfort, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart produced a match-winning unbeaten 75 off 42 balls to guide his side through a challenging 156-run chase.
India’s ODI series against Afghanistan is scheduled to begin on June 13, following a one-off Test between the two sides in New Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, former India captain Rohit Sharma, although named in the ODI squad, remains doubtful for the series. His availability will depend on his fitness assessment in the lead-up to the matches.
Kohli enjoyed another prolific IPL campaign, finishing as RCB’s leading run-scorer and the tournament’s fourth-highest run-getter. The veteran amassed 675 runs from 16 innings at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, including one century and five half-centuries. His highest score of the season was an unbeaten 105.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest ODI batters in cricket history, Kohli has accumulated 14,797 runs in 299 ODI innings at an average of 58.71. His tally includes a record 54 centuries and 77 fifties, with a career-best score of 183.
The 37-year-old now plays exclusively in the ODI format after retiring from T20 Internationals following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 and stepping away from Test cricket in May 2025 ahead of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Since the start of last year, Kohli has been in exceptional ODI form, scoring 891 runs in 16 matches at an average of 68.53 and a strike rate of 98.45. During that period, he registered four centuries and five fifties, with a highest score of 135, and played a pivotal role in India’s successful ICC Champions Trophy campaign.
His form has been particularly impressive since India’s tour of Australia, which marked the beginning of his journey as an ODI-only player. Since then, Kohli has amassed 616 runs in nine innings at an outstanding average of 88 and a strike rate of 106.39, including three centuries and three fifties.
In his most recent ODI assignment against New Zealand earlier this year, Kohli finished as India’s leading run-scorer with 240 runs in three matches at an average of 80.00, highlighted by a century and a half-century.
