Shreyas Iyer To Replace Virat Kohli For No. 3? Former RCB Captain's Hamstring Injury Signals Major Shift In Playing XI Against Afghanistan

After claiming the IPL 2026 title, Virat Kohli was set to don the blue Indian jersey for the ODI series against Afghanistan. But it appears that the timeline for the former India skipper remains uncertain, as Kohli will remain unclear for the three 50-over games. According to a BCCI source, Kohli will be out for the ODI series due to a hamstring injury. Fitness concerns with Rohit Sharma also linger, which is a matter of concern for the Indian team management. In such a time of distress, some cricket pundits suggest Shreyas Iyer can replace Kohli for the no. 3 position.

Shreyas Iyer has been one of India’s most reliable batters when it comes to the white-ball format and, most importantly, the ODIs. Iyer played the last ODI for India on January 18, 2026, against New Zealand, where he failed to create an impact and got dismissed on just 3 runs. But his recent performances make him a perfect fit to replace someone like Virat Kohli. The Punjab Kings’ skipper was the highest run scorer of India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph with 243 runs.

Although Iyer has primarily batted at No. 4, the 31-year-old has expressed his desire to be placed at No. 3.

"We already know that IPL is an integral part of Indian cricket. "And if I would want to mark myself at some position in T20, it would be No. 3," Iyer said at a press conference.

India and Afghanistan are set to lock horns for one Test and 3 ODIs commencing from June 6 to June 20. The face-off is historic in its own way because this will be the first bilateral ODI series between both countries, and considering the quality of cricket that is displayed by the Afghans, this won’t be easy for Gill and co.

India: Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey,

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi

India: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharotai, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami