Kohli, Rohit’s fitness to be assessed ahead of Afghanistan ODIs: Doeschate
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside all-rounder Hardik Pandya face fitness assessments ahead of the Afghanistan ODI series following injury concerns stemming from the recently concluded IPL 2026
New Chandigarh: India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Thursday said the fitness of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be assessed in the coming days ahead of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, adding that an official communication will follow once the medical team delivers its verdict.
While Rohit’s participation in the three-match series is subject to fitness after he sustained a hamstring injury during IPL 2026, Kohli’s availability is in doubt after he suffered a hamstring strain while scoring an unbeaten 75 in the final for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who successfully defended their title in Ahmedabad on June 1.
The team management is also waiting to see if seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be fully fit for the 50-over games against Afghanistan after back spasms forced him to miss a few matches for the Mumbai Indians during the IPL.
“Official communication will come on that. It’s obviously big news when it’s someone like Virat or Rohit, but the standard protocols remain in place. We’ll assess the fitness of those guys. We’ve got a few days now to decide whether they’re fit enough to play and be part of the squad, and we will make adjustments accordingly,” ten Doeschate said during a press conference ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting Saturday.
“I’m sure an official announcement will come through as soon as the medical team has made a decision,” he added.
The assistant coach also weighed in on the contentious issue of centrally contracted players featuring in the latter stages of the IPL despite carrying injuries, noting that player workload must be managed on a case-by-case basis.
“I think it’s a very individualistic thing. With the Indian hat on, we want the players to be at their absolute best when they’re on international duty, so it is a case of managing it individually. I appreciate that the IPL is a massive window of the year for those players.
“The IPL is a showpiece domestic competition, so it’s about striking a balance between the two. Considering the workload the guys had going into this last IPL—certainly a large proportion of the contracted players—I think we’ve managed fairly well, and injuries are simply part of the game.
“You can’t protect players by not playing them, but we certainly need to identify the key parts of the international schedule and ensure our best players are not only uninjured but also physically at their peak when we need them the most,” ten Doeschate concluded.
