New Delhi, June 6 -- Virat Kohli has not played a single ODI since January, and his hamstring will ensure that run extends at least through June. The injury he sustained during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2026 title win last month has ruled him out of all three matches against Afghanistan starting June 13. Yashasvi Jaiswal steps in.

five batters, each with a credible claim to the first four positions, competing for slots in the format that now leads most directly to the 2027 World Cup. Nobody in that queue is being dropped. Nobody needs to be.

And then there is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is not in this queue at all, because the selectors decided - three weeks ago and without apparent hesitation - that he was not ready for it.

The ...