India Begin ODI World Cup Preparations Against Afghanistan in Dharamsala
India and Afghanistan will contest their first-ever bilateral ODI series, opening with a three-match set in Dharamsala on June 13, 2026. India enter without key regulars Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj due to injury or rest, while Afghanistan arrive on the back of four consecutive ODI wins and with Rashid Khan returning to the side. The series serves as an early World Cup preparation checkpoint for both teams ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
India and Afghanistan will play a bilateral ODI series for the first time, having previously only met in World Cups and Asia Cups in the format — a head-to-head record India lead 3-0 with one tie. The series opener is scheduled for June 13 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, a venue known for offering bounce and carry more reminiscent of South African conditions than most subcontinental grounds. India are missing several frontline players: Kohli is sidelined with a hamstring injury, Hardik Pandya is ruled out, and Bumrah and Siraj are also absent, leaving India with a largely untested pace attack featuring Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and potentially uncapped seamers Gurnoor Brar or Prince Yadav. Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to fill Hardik's allrounder role, while Ishan Kishan is the frontrunner for the No. 3 batting slot vacated by Kohli, though India's bowling coach Morne Morkel indicated the team may experiment with multiple players in that position. Afghanistan, buoyed by winning five of six ODI series in this World Cup cycle and boosted by Rashid Khan's return after he missed the preceding Test, will look to Azmatullah Omarzai — who has taken 24 wickets in his last 10 ODIs — as a key threat with both bat and ball. Rain is forecast around match day, which could assist the fast bowlers and make the toss a significant factor.
What's missing
Neither source clarifies whether India's rested players (Bumrah, Siraj) were rested by the national board or their IPL franchises, or whether their absence is purely injury-related.
How coverage differed
Both ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz framed the series similarly as a World Cup preparation exercise, but ESPNcricinfo placed greater emphasis on India's bowling depth concerns and individual player spotlights, while Cricbuzz gave more weight to Afghanistan's broader ODI cycle record and the strategic significance of Dharamsala's conditions as a South Africa proxy.
What different sources said
- ESPNcricinfoCenter
India face test of depth in first-ever ODI series against Afghanistan
- CricbuzzCenter
India's ODI road resumes with Afghanistan challenge
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