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On Saturday (June 6), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the teams for the upcoming T20I series and for the Asian Games 2026, but not for the ODI series, which will be against England from July 14. Why did BCCI skip the ODI squad announcement for the England series?
Team India is currently dealing with multiple injuries and fitness concerns. Some of their top-tier players, like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy, are of concern because of their fitness status. As per current updates, Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee skipped the ODI team announcement mostly because of the injuries of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Team India is dealing with multiple injury problems
Virat Kohli has been completely ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya’s participation in the contest is subject to their fitness ahead of the series.
It was reported in the early morning of June 6 that Hardik Pandya is all set to play in the ODI series against Afghanistan. The BCCI’s Center of Excellence has declared the pace bowling all-rounder fit, and the board has received the clearance certificate as well, according to the latest reports.
Rohit Sharma is yet to prove his fitness
While there are positive updates on Pandya, the other notable players, who are struggling with their fitness, are yet to see a green signal from the medical team. Rohit Sharma is in a recovery session and is expected to gain match fitness ahead of the ODI series.
If the reports are to be believed, Rohit Sharma can join the ODI squad a couple of days ahead of the first of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Before that, he needs to clear all the required sessions during the recovery period.
Kohli’s situation is more critical. He has a torn hamstring muscle, which needs a substantial amount of time to be in normal shape. During the press conference, confirming Virat Kohli’s injury, Ajit Agarkar claims he has yet to receive a detailed report from the medical team regarding Virat Kohli’s injury. As of now, he has no clue when the talismanic batter can make a comeback for Team India.
Why the delay in the ODI team announcement for the England series?
It is believed that BCCI is taking extra time for the team announcement for the away ODI series against England because of the uncertainties over Rohit and Virat.
“The team for the ODI series against England has not been announced due to the fitness reports of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma,” Abhishek Tripathi, a Dainik Jagran report claims on his ‘X’ post.
On June 4, in a separate ‘X’ post, he claimed that Virat Kohli would be available for the England series. Although the national cricket team selector did not provide any specific timeline for the return of Virat.
विराट कोहली और रोहित शर्मा की फिटनेस रिपोर्ट के कारण इंग्लैंड के विरुद्ध वनडे सीरीज के लिए टीम घोषित नहीं हुई है। https://t.co/3O8u558qEz
— Abhishek Tripathi / अभिषेक त्रिपाठी (@abhishereporter) June 6, 2026
"With Virat at this point, it's just been less than a week since he injured himself in the [IPL] finals. We don't know the timelines yet, but it looks like he might be fit for that England ODI series. It's not a definitive answer, so don't hold me to it. I haven't had a clear timeline from the physio yet," Agarkar told the media.
As Virat Kohli ruled out of the Afghanistan series, the BCCI has named his replacement. Yashasvi Jaiswal is included in the ODI squad in place of the injured batter to face Afghanistan in the white-ball format.
Read More: Ajit Agarkar reveals why India removed T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav
