Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has picked the Indian team’s playing XI for the first ODI against Afghanistan. He added that Prince Yadav would make his international debut. The first ODI of the three-match series between India and Afghanistan will take place in Dharamshala on Saturday, June 13. Prince, Harsh Dubey, and Gurnoor Brar are the three newcomers in their 15-member squad.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “In the team I have made, Shubman Gill is there with Rohit Sharma. There is still no news about Hardik Pandya’s availability. So I am assuming he is not there. I see Ishan Kishan playing at No. 3, Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5, Nitish Kumar Reddy at No. 6, and then Washington Sundar at No. 7.”
“At No. 8, you can see Kuldeep Yadav, and then from Nos. 9 to 11, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Prince Yadav. This kind of XI might be seen. Nitish Kumar Reddy will have a bigger role here,” he shared again.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra also stated that India need to perform better than they have done lately in ODIs as well.
“Since the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup, our win percentage is only 61 percent. We have won 14 out of 23 matches, which is not a great return. So those things need to start changing now because we are preparing for 2027,” he said.
“Afghanistan’s win percentage since the 2023 ODI World Cup is 67 percent. It’s the second-best amongst full-member nations. They have won five out of their last six bilateral series, including a historic triumph over South Africa. It’s also true that India have never lost an ODI against Afghanistan. We have won three, and one ended in a tie. The biggest threat will be Rashid Khan because his mojo is back. He bowls very well against right-handers, and we have mostly right-handers,” he concluded.
Aakash Chopra’s India playing 11 for IND vs AFG 2026 1st ODI:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav
