Rishabh Pant pays price for poor form, Ro-Ko returns, Prince Yadav and Harsh Dubey earn India call-up for Afghanistan series

No more doubt on Rishabh Pant’s future as the BCCI selectors have decided to move on from him, replacing him with Ishan Kishan. On Tuesday evening, the BCCI selectors announced the one-day international squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series scheduled to be played on June 14, 17 and 20. Performers of the domestic season and also of IPL have received their first international call-ups. Prince Yadav and Harsh Dubey, who have been in the headlines for a very long time, have received calls for both the test and ODI sides, along with Gurnoor Brar.

The preparation for the 2027 World Cup is in focus, and ahead of the selectors have showcased their template, and maybe they are going to maintain that for the upcoming series. The squad selection has indicated the roadmap as selectors have prioritised performance more than reputation, and as a result, a few of the big names have had to face the cut.

Performance over reputation

In this squad, the selectors have dropped three big stars, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Jadeja. Three of the stars have not replicated their aura in the IPL for what they are known for. The ODI series between India and Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be played at Dharamshala, Lucknow and Chennai, will see a comeback of Ro-ko in the blues. Also, Hardik Pandya comes back in the squad. From the last squad against New Zealand, Harshit Rana, Ayush Badoni and Siraj have also faced the cut.

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The addition of Prince Yadav, Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar is nothing but adding a bit more salt to the gravy. The current Indian team has handled the transition shock; now, selectors have headed towards the time to make the Indian team future-ready.

The newest additions

Prince Yadav has remained an asset for the LSG franchise, this season he has produced one of the finest performances and taken 16 wickets so far in this IPL season. His ability to bowl on the deck makes him more special. In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare trophy, Prince has remained the highest wicket taker for Delhi with 18 wickets in 8 matches with an economy of 5.16.

Harsh Dubey, the all-rounder from Vidarbha, has remained constantly in the headlines for his exceptional skills both with the ball and bat. He has got the reward of being the player of the tournament of Ranji Trophy 2024-25, where he scored 476 runs and took 69 wickets. Gurnoor Brar also got the reward for his exceptional performance for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy.

India ODI squad vs Afghanistan

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), 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