Rashid Khan shares tips with fellow spinners to dismiss Vaibhav Soory…

Under the glare of the Yamuna Sports Complex floodlights on Wednesday evening, the Afghanistan national cricket team stepped up its tactical preparations for the upcoming three T20Is against India with a high-intensity practice match. asg-reflektory.pl

The session had one key agenda: How to stop India’s teenaged batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The three-match T20 series against India begins on Sunday, September 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

While the practice match offered valuable game time to the Afghan squad, the real focus of the evening was a dedicated tactical briefing on dismantling one of India’s most aggressive young batters.

Rashid Khan

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“Leg-spin maestro and senior leader Rashid Khan led a granular breakdown of Sooryavanshi’s technique. The discussion centred around exploiting specific vulnerabilities exposed during India’s recent series against England,” a source close to the Afghanistan team told mid-day.

Rashid urged the pace unit to replicate the high-octane short-pitched strategy employed effectively by England fast bowler Jofra Archer. “Target the middle-and-leg line with aggressive bouncers,” Rashid is said to have instructed his fast bowlers, highlighting how steep bounce directed at the body can force Sooryavanshi into awkward decision-making and limit the ability to free his arms.

The senior Afghan player also had special instructions for the spin contingent. To curb Sooryavanshi’s boundary-hitting, Rashid cautioned his fellow spinners against rushing the ball through at high speeds, which could play into the batter’s natural hand speed.

According to the source, Rashid told his spinners: “Don’t bowl fast spin to him [Sooryavanshi]. Flight the ball a little more and drop the pace. His footwork isn’t as sharp when he has to generate his own power off slow, floating deliveries. That is where the trap lies.”

Afghanistan, who are hosting this series in New Delhi, also invited select domestic players from Haryana to sharpen their competitive edge.

Bumrah tests Sooryavanshi in nets

There is a different vibe to the Indian team the moment one gentleman checks in. Jasprit Bumrah was back at the Kotla, all smiles with a spring in his step and display of his wide array of skill sets that kept a 15-year-old teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on toes.

Under the Kotla lights, India’s greatest ever paceman decided to ask a few probing questions to a Gen Alpha superstar in making. The first delivery pitched on good length and as Sooryavanshi jabbed at it, he missed it completely.

The next delivery at same length found the little one hurried as it passed his bat before it came down. The third one was a perfect yorker that Sooryavanshi just about managed to dig it out.

193
No of runs scored by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in six T20Is for India

CPL 2026 GAW vs TKR Highlights: Imran Tahir-led Guyana Amazon Warriors secured a 6-wicket victory against Nicholas Pooran-led Trinbago Knight Riders in the 33rd match played at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

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Player of the Match

Mehidy Hasan Miraz | Guyana Amazon Warriors

Great moment for him. I am playing CPL for the first time, getting the Man of the match award and I was enjoy a lot during the match. I was trying to bowl in the right areas and was looking to get the wickets. I knew the wicket was turning.

Great moment for me. They look after me. Especially, thanks to the management. We have one match left against Barbados. So hopefully in the next match we’ll win.

Pistol shooter Anish Bhanwala and grappler Antim Panghal are only 23 and 24 years old. Still relatively young, both heading to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya have been representing India since they were teens.

Rapid fire ace, Anish has already participated in two Asian Games — 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou, but did not win a medal. Antim won a bronze at the last edition in the 53kg weight category. Both have been to the Olympics as well. Now battle-hardened, somewhat more mature, they want the big podium finish in Japan — the Asian Games begin on September 19 and conclude on October 4.

Medal run

With wrestling, shooting, and athletics being India’s core sports disciplines, the number of gold medals will decide India’s place on the Asian map. At the 2022 Asian Games, India won 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals to finish fourth in the medals tally. With a total of 107 medals, this was the best ever show.

“This would be my third Asian Games, but I am not hyping it too much. This unnecessarily adds to the noise and makes you tense. I have been to the Olympics and World Championships and without meaning to disrespect Asian Games, in shooting our only big opponents are the Chinese and Korean shooters,” Anish said.

“I have already been at the podium in the past three Asian championships and cannot explain how I feel. I am shooting the same way when I was 17. Feels like everything is in rhythm and I am relaxed. I am very confident that we will match the medals tally from the last Games for sure,” he added.

Antim doesn’t want to disclose her expectations, but exudes confidence that she is a far better wrestler now. Having already recovered from a back injury and a few upsets, including failing in the trials for the Asian Championships earlier this year, the 23-year-old says she is more focused now. “I want to give my best this time. I have been working very hard on both my offensive and defensive techniques so I feel I am ready. I am also watching footage of all my prospective opponents,” the two-time World Championships bronze medallist says.

On the other end of the spectrum is one of India’s most known faces when it comes to 3000m steeplechase: Avinash Sable. The 31-year-old has recovered from a knee injury that he suffered during the 2025 Monaco Diamond League. Now fit, he wants to retain his title in Japan. “I am mentally and physically strong now to face any challenge,” the Hangzhou gold medallist said, who had also won the silver medal in the men’s 5,000m in 2022.

Young archers on the big stage

While the optimism is high, there are a few disciplines, including archery, where the team is young and inexperienced. Apart from Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhagat in recurve and V Jyothi Surekha in women’s compound archery, the rest of the team is fresh. Former India international Dola Banerjee advises patience. “In crunch times, experience comes in handy. Most of our archers have been promoted from the youth setup so we have to be mindful of that,” Banerjee says. “We should just let them enjoy this big experience and whatever they achieve should be celebrated. Having said that, fresh faces do not approach competitions with any baggage, and can come up with surprising results,” she adds.

Defending the cricket, hockey titles

The Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams head to Aichi-Nagoya to defend their titles won in the last edition. The men’s hockey team will also look to defend its gold medal as winning the podium will mean booking a spot for the 2028 LA Olympics.

India will also look to end its Asian Games drought in weightlifting. Karnam Malleswari’s 1998 silver was the last time an Indian stood on the podium at the Asian Games.

India’s preparations for the 2026 Asian Games have suffered another setback with weightlifter C Rishikanta Singh withdrawing from the Games due to a knee injury. The development comes just days before the continental event begins in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Rishikanta was India’s only male weightlifter in the Asian Games squad and his withdrawal means the country will now have four women weightlifters in the team. The Commonwealth Games silver medallist was expected to be one of India’s medal hopes in the 60kg category.

The 25-year-old has been dealing with a sore left knee. He informed the Weightlifting Federation of India about the problem and was assessed by Asian Games chief medical officer Dinshaw Pardiwala following the Commonwealth Games. He has been advised at least 20 days of rehabilitation and is currently recovering in his home state of Manipur.

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Rishikanta had competed through the injury at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he won a silver medal in the 60kg category. His absence is therefore a blow to India’s medal hopes in weightlifting, although Mirabai Chanu and the other members of the women’s team remain in the squad.

The latest withdrawal is part of a wider list of changes to India’s athletics contingent. Javelin thrower Annu Rani, the reigning Asian Games champion, has been left out after failing to meet the required qualifying mark. Her season’s best of 57.50m was below the 57.62m qualifying distance.

Sprinter Nithya Gandhe has also been dropped because of injury and performance concerns, while long jumper Shahnavaz Khan has been withdrawn due to injury. Khan had won a bronze medal at the recent World U20 Championships with a 7.84m jump.

Abhishek Pal has also been removed from the team following an adverse finding involving a fertility drug. The changes have reduced India’s athletics contingent to 75 athletes.

There was some good news for India as hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, who has been carrying a niggle since the Bhubaneswar World Athletics Silver meet, was cleared to compete after being assessed by doctors. The medical team expects her to be fit for the Games.

Wushu player Divyanshi Chaudhary has also been replaced by Rushibina Devi after suffering a shoulder injury.

The Asian Games will begin on September 19 and run until October 4.