Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been declared fit for India's upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan after receiving clearance from the sports science team at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
The three-match series will begin on June 13 in Dharamsala. The fitness update ends speculation over the availability of the two players, who missed several matches for the Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2026 season due to injuries.
According to sources familiar with the development, both players have completed the required fitness process and are now available for selection.
“Rohit and Hardik have been given the necessary clearance. Both players have been given the go-ahead and will feature in the series against Afghanistan,” a BCCI source confirmed to Hindustan Times Digital.
Pandya had been recovering from back spasms that forced him to miss part of the IPL season. Rohit, meanwhile, was dealing with a hamstring injury. Even after returning to action for Mumbai Indians, he featured only as an Impact Substitute.
Pandya reported to the Centre of Excellence on June 2, while Rohit arrived in Bengaluru on June 8 to complete his fitness assessment.
Earlier this month, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had said that both players would need to complete the standard clearance process before becoming available for national selection.
“As far as Hardik Pandya and Rohit are concerned, Hardik is already at the CoE in Bengaluru. Very soon, he will take the final test and will be in the process of obtaining the clearance certificate. As far as Rohit is concerned, he will also be visiting the CoE in the next two or three days,” Saikia told reporters on June 6.
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The update comes shortly after India completed a one-off Test against Afghanistan. Following that match, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said he had not yet received official confirmation regarding the duo's fitness status but expected them to be available.
“I have honestly not got the news whether they have been cleared or not. But I’m sure they will be there,” Kotak said during a post-match press conference.
While India have received positive news regarding Rohit and Pandya, the team will be without Virat Kohli for the Afghanistan ODIs. Kohli has been ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as Kohli's replacement in the ODI squad. There is currently no confirmation on when Kohli will report to the Centre of Excellence for his fitness assessment. However, he is expected to recover in time for India's ODI series against England in July.
The Afghanistan series will begin in Dharamsala on June 13, before moving to Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20. With Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya now cleared to play, India will have two key senior players available as preparations continue for the upcoming international schedule.