Top News

IND vs AFG: Gautam Gambhir Pushes For MS Dhoni's CSK Successor To Enter India ODI Setup

Cricket Gully | May 18, 2026 9:39 PM CST

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is still, not really saying much about the squads for that one off Test and the three match ODI series against Afghanistan, which is set to kick off after IPL 2026.

For the Test side, the squad might stay pretty close to what we’ve already seen, but the chatter around the ODI team keeps building up. There are still real doubts, on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s next move, India’s pace unit without Jasprit Bumrah in the mix, and also whether Hardik Pandya will make a comeback after those recent back injury worries.

Still, the loudest debate, is the backup wicketkeeper role. Right now the contest feels like a three way thing between Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson.

Pant’s recent ODI record plus his IPL 2026 form, apparently made the BCCI look at other options now, kinda quietly. At the same time Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have been showing real impact since the T20 World Cup 2026, where both guys played key parts in India’s title run , under Gautam Gambhir.

Earlier, reports had said the SRH batter might be back in the ODI setup after a three-year gap. Yet, as per RevSportz, the CSK star is now expected to be named in the IND vs AFG ODI squad instead.

Samson, who is with CSK as MS Dhoni’s successor, last featured in an ODI in December 2023. Back then he notched a century versus South Africa in Paarl during that series. Even if he opened in the T20 World Cup, in ODIs he’s mostly treated as a middle-order batter, not really the top-of-the-card guy. Kishan, on the other hand, gives more balance, since he can act as a backup opener and wicketkeeper but can also go into the middle order when needed.

The Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management has, honestly showed more trust in Ishan Kishan over the years, like he’s always been in the plans. He was even in India’s squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Kishan has played more ODIs than Samson, and he also owns that double century in the format. Still, the Kerala batter has a better ODI average though.

Numbers	Kishan	Samson
Innings	24	14
Runs	933	510
Average	42.4	56.66
Strike Rate	102.19	99.6
50s/100s	07-Jan	03-Jan
Best Score	210	108

Right now , in IPL 2026, Samson has edged out Kishan a bit with the bat. The CSK batter has scored 450 runs in 12 matches, which is 30 runs more than Kishan’s total for SRH. Yet Kishan’s strike rate is higher 185.84 , while Samson sits at 164.23. Samson has also smashed two centuries this season, whereas Kishan hasn’t reached that milestone yet.

Numbers	Kishan	Samson
Innings	12	12
Runs	420	430
Average	35	50
Strike Rate	185.84	164.23
50s/100s	4/0	01-Feb
Best Score	91	115

Also Read | 'I have a problem': Jofra Archer’s IPL Participation Sparks Debate After Michael Vaughan’s Strong Remarks

India ’s pace bowling concerns have been building again going into the Afghanistan series. It’s being said that Jasprit Bumrah could be rested, while Harshit Rana is dealing with an injury of sorts. Mohammed Siraj is still the only fully fit regular fast bowler at the moment , and Arshdeep Singh is also nursing a minor niggle that he can’t fully shrug off.

So in that case, Gautam Gambhir along with the Indian team management might have to lean on newish pacers like Prince Yadav, Kartik Tyagi, and Prasidh Krishna, who have all looked really impressive through their IPL 2026 run.