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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earns massive backing as veteran umpire predicts he will "do some wonder for India"
Veteran umpire and referee Virender Sharma has advised batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to focus on his development over the next two to three years. Sharma believes the teenager has enormous potential but said a clearer assessment of his long-term future can only be made after watching the coming seasons. mwafrika.life
The India A team, led by Tilak Varma, is currently participating in a Tri-Nation A Series in Sri Lanka. Following their recent matches against Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A, India A is scheduled to play its next fixture against Sri Lanka A on Monday, June 15. They are in second place in the standings after two matches.
It's Amazing Talent - Virender Sharma Praises Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Potential
Virender Sharma praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's talent and backed the youngster to have a bright future. The veteran umpire said the teenager has impressive natural ability, but added that his development over the next two to three years will be the real measure of his progress.
"It's amazing talent. Whatever I have seen of him during the last few IPLs, it's amazing. He's got so much strength in his arms, good eyes, and excellent hand-eye coordination. It's good for India. I'm looking forward to watching him for another two or three years, then I can say more about his progress," Sharma said.
If He's Successful in the IPL, He Can Do Wonders for India - Virender Sharma Backs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Virender Sharma believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL success shows that he has the talent to succeed at the international level. The veteran umpire said that the IPL is the toughest T20 tournament in the world, and performing consistently against top-quality bowlers is a strong indicator of future success.
"Absolutely. If you see, the IPL is the most challenging tournament in the world. So if he's performing in the IPL, it means that he's got the capability and the ability to score runs against many foreign players and bowlers. So if he is successful in the IPL, definitely he will do some wonder for India in international cricket," Sharma said.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Continues to Impress After Record-Breaking IPL Season
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi enjoyed a remarkable IPL 2026 season, scoring 776 runs with a stunning strike rate of 237.30, including one century and five half-centuries. The young batter played a key role for Rajasthan Royals at the top of the order throughout the tournament.
The teenager has attracted widespread attention for his fearless batting style and ability to attack experienced bowlers. His power, timing, and hand-eye coordination have made him one of the most exciting young talents in Indian cricket.
Sooryavanshi had a quiet start to his India A career during the ongoing tri-series. The left-handed batter scored just 14 runs on debut against Sri Lanka A. However, he bounced back in his next outing against Afghanistan A, smashing 44 runs off just 22 balls before falling to a short-pitched delivery.
Predicted India playing XI for IND vs AFG 1st ODI: No Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan in, Prince Yadav to make debut
India cricket team will commence their preparations for the 2027 World Cup by taking on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series that starts from June 13. Shubman Gill and co. who were prolific in the 50-over format of the game last year, lost 1-2 to New Zealand at the start of 2026 following which they have only played T20Is and a Test. With a host of big names including Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya being ruled out of the series due to injuries, India will be aiming to start their WC preparations on the right foot by testing their bench strength.
Predicted India playing XI for IND vs AFG 1st ODI
| Position | Player | Role |
| 1. | Rohit Sharma | Opener |
| 2. | Shubman Gill (C) | Opener |
| 3. | Ishan Kishan | Batter |
| 4. | Shreyas Iyer (VC) | Batter |
| 5. | KL Rahul (WK) | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| 6. | Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| 7. | Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| 8. | Kuldeep Yadav | Spinner |
| 9. | Prasidh Krishna | Pacer |
| 10. | Prince Yadav | Pacer |
| 11. | Arshdeep Singh | Pacer |
No room for Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal was named as Virat Kohli’s replacement for the ODI series against Afghanistan after the latter was ruled out due to a leg injury. The southpaw, who has been knocking on the doors of the selectors for a spot in the ODIs over the years, last featured in a 50-over format game against South Africa in December 2025. However, despite being named Kohli’s replacement, Yashasvi is unlikely to find a spot in India’s playing XI for IND vs AFG 1st ODI.
Now, India’s opening combination in ODIs are fixed – Rohit and captain Gill. Jaiswal cannot essay any other role than that of an opener. With the Hitman cleared by the BCCI’s CoE to take part in the Afghanistan series, there remains very liitle chance for Jaiswal to make it to the playing XI. After all, that can only happen if the team decides to rest Rohit Sharma.
Ishan Kishan to replace Kohli at no.3?
Kishan last featured in an ODI way back in October 2023 against Afghanistan. Now, he is all set to return from exile to face the same opposition after working hard in the domestic circuit and impressing the selectors to earn his comeback. The southpaw has played 27 ODIs in which he has amassed 933 runs at an average of 42.40, including a highest score of 210.
Kishan is the best option for India to replace an injued Virat Kohli at number 3. While batting at that position, Ishan has scored 163 runs in 4 matches at an average of 40.75 and has two fifties to his name. Given the way he has performed at number 3 in the shortest format of the game in the recent past, he is the frontrunner to find a spot in India’s playing XI against Afghanistan.
Vice-captain Shreyas will bat at number 4 while Rahul, who will serve as the wicketkeeper as well, will essay his usual role as number 5. India will also want to have two all-rounders in the playing XI to increase their batting depth. With Hardik Pandya being ruled out of the series with a quadrecips injury, NKR will be expected to fullfill his quota of 10 overs. The other all-rounder in the line-up will be Sundar.
Prince Yadav to make India debut
Prince Yadav, who plays for LSG, has seemingly impressed the selectors by bagging 16 wickets from 12 matches in IPL 2026. In List A cricket, he has 29 wickets from 14 matches since making his debut in the format in 2024. He is likely to make his ODI debut in the IND vs AFG 1st ODI. While Siraj has been rested, India will want to have an more experienced Krishna along with Arshdeep to comprise of the pace department.
In the absence of Siraj and Bumrah, Arshdeep will spearhead the pace attack in the series, with Krishna serving as second fiddle.
India squad for AFG ODIs
The post Predicted India playing XI for IND vs AFG 1st ODI: No Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan in, Prince Yadav to make debut appeared first on Inside Sport India.
Jaspal Rana, shooting great and Manu Bhaker’s coach, dies at 49
Jaspal Rana, one of India’s finest pistol shooters who made a hugely successful transition to coaching and guided Manu Bhaker to epoch-making twin bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, has shockingly died at a mere 49 years of age after battling cardiac complications.
Rana is survived by his wife, Reena Rana, daughter Devanshi, son Yuvraj, father Narayan Singh Rana, and his two siblings, Sushma Singh and Subhash Rana.
According to National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, Rana breathed his last at a Delhi hospital on Thursday night. Sources said he died of complications related to heart.
Rana’s untimely death has left the shooting fraternity in a state of shock.
He recently underwent a medical procedure after falling ill during the Indian contingent’s return flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany.
Upon landing in New Delhi, he was immediately hospitalised and had a stent installed to clear a cardiac blockage. According to sources, despite initial reports of him being stable, his condition deteriorated.
Rana was serving as the high-performance coach for Indian pistol shooters.
The former shooter, who was considered a maverick in Indian shooting circles for his outspoken demeanour and passion for the sport, was a prodigal talent and won his first national level gold at just 12 years of age.
His international breakthrough were the 25m gold medals at the 1994 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
In fact, the Asiad gold was India’s first in 16 years after Raja Randhir Singh opened the account in 1978. Randhir had passed away recently after battling age-related ailments.
Rana’s biggest moment as a shooter came in the 2006 Asian Games when he snared three gold medals and a silver in a sensational performance that included equalling the world record of the time.
After a decorated career as an elite shooter, Rana transformed Indian shooting through his roles as a junior national team coach and high-performance trainer.
His most significant coaching contribution was mentoring Manu Bhaker and helping her secure two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making her the first Indian to achieve such a feat.
As a junior pistol coach since 2012, he also groomed teen sensations such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala, and Chinki Yadav.
His work with the junior programme created a massive pipeline of international talent, creating a lasting impact on the sport.
The NRAI had officially appointed him as the High-Performance coach for the 25m pistol discipline in February last year.
A tough task-master, Rana is credited with instituting rigorous training routines that perfectly replicated the pressure of actual Olympic matches.
For his immense contributions to the sport and the development of the next generation of shooters, the government conferred on him the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 2020.
He also remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete with 15 medals (including nine golds) across four editions.
What next for ‘Project Nitish Kumar Reddy?’
For 189 deliveries, a promising cricketer locked horns against a great attack, fought with his inner demons, and eventually ended up as the shining light at the colosseum of MCG in the Boxing Day Test. It turns out to be the one evocative memory of Nitish Kumar Reddy that millions of Indian cricket fans would carry forward for generations. But his detractors could very well argue with the following line: what has Nitish done while facing the rest of his 502 offerings in Test cricket? And that point could be extended to the shorter formats of the game as well.
At the moment, there is no fitting riposte to the hard numbers on display. However, sometimes, to locate the answer, one has to peel the outside layers of the black box. And that is where you unearth the name, ‘Project Nitish Reddy.’ Unfortunately, India have a dearth of quality pace-bowling all-rounders. Hardik Pandya, the experienced campaigner, has filled that role with distinction in limited-overs cricket. Just that, at the age of 32, Hardik isn’t getting any younger, and he has been increasingly troubled by soft tissue injuries.
Meanwhile, from the ‘Project Nitish’ point of view, the speedgun flashing speeds in the range of mid 130s to low 140s in the 2026 IPL would have boosted the confidence of not just the all-rounder but also the Indian think-tank. Incidentally, just before that tournament, the all-rounder tweaked a few parts of his biomechanics with the help of the renowned fast-bowling coach Steffan Jones.
Nitish bowling at higher speeds could give him a flicker of hope of surviving in the abridged versions of the game. With Nitish having the traits to move the ball, there is also a small window for the Indian management to try him as a new-ball bowler in the Afghanistan ODIs.
In an imaginary debate, Nitish’s detractors could throw out one more rebuttal: Hardik Pandya extracts a little more bounce from a slightly fuller length and possesses the required variations. There is a surrebuttal too: the ‘Project Nitish’ needs to be painted with different colours on a large canvas. In a nutshell, Nitish’s skills would improve only by bowling more overs. And a rather low-key series versus Afghanistan might act as the right kind of laboratory to test the hypothesis.
India have important assignments ahead of them, including the Test series in New Zealand and the 50-over World Cup next year. The Indian backroom staff would still bank on Hardik’s fitness for the World Cup.
The skeptics, however, would point out the long list of injuries suffered by the all-rounder. And that is where the Afghanistan series could prove to be the missing road for Nitish to reach his destined destination. Despite the cacophony of sounds from his critics, Nitish’s one and only mantra for the moment would be – never quit on your dreams.
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