Guwahati, May 19 (IANS) Pacer Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav, along with left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, have been handed maiden call-ups for India’s three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. India’s ODIs against Afghanistan will be in Dharamshala (June 14), Lucknow (June 17), and Chennai (June 20).

The squad, led by Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, serving as the vice-captain, features senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, though the former’s inclusion is subject to fitness after suffering a hamstring injury during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

The same is the case with seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who will also need fitness clearance from the medical team following back spasms, keeping him out of the Mumbai Indians’ recent games in the IPL.

A significant change is in the form of Ishan Kishan earning a return to the India ODI team at the expense of Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. “Rishabh remains a part of the Test squad and is an incredible player. He’s not part of the ODI squad, but right now he’s a key part of the Test team,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar in a virtual press conference while announcing the squad.

Prince’s accuracy and pace while being a standout bowler for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2026 by 16 wickets have impressed the selection panel enough to earn an ODI call-up, with no place for Mohammed Siraj, injured Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, and Ayush Badoni, who were present during India’s 2-1 series loss to New Zealand earlier this year.

Brar and Dubey also add to India’s bowling options after being previously given a call-up to the Test squad for the one-off game in New Chandigarh. The pace unit includes Brar, Prince, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna, while Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, along with Dubey, are present, as India continue their build-up to the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.

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

–IANS

nr/bsk/