India, June 13 -- The road to the 2027 ODI World Cup has well and truly begun. India will take on Afghanistan in the three-match ODI series, beginning Saturday in Dharamsala. The Men in Blue will be without both Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli, as the duo have been ruled out of the series due to injuries. Virat was sidelined due to a hamstring injury he picked up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final, while Hardik suffered a quadriceps setback right at the very last minute. However, Rohit Sharma got his fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and is all set to open the batting alongside Shubman Gill, the skipper.

However, the opening ODI of the three-match series is in danger of being washed out in Dharam...