Muso Jam

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Ready For India Debut But Must Go Through Selection Process, Says India assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate

· Free Press Journal

Belfast: India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has declared Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ready for international cricket but also made it clear that the 15-year-old batting sensation will have to go through the same process that other players in the side have followed before being handed their debut.

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Sooryavanshi's omission from the T20 series against Ireland has become a major talking point after the T20 world champion Indian team ended up being whitewashed 0-2, the second loss being by just one run here on Sunday.

"He (Sooryavanshi) is absolutely ready to play international cricket, there is no doubt about that but also Sanju Samson is a guy who went a long way to win us the World Cup three months ago," Ten Doeschate said when the inevitable query on Sooryavanshi came up during the post-match press conference.

"He has got a fairly good IPL, and it is important to give players confidence and message to the players, we want to give guys a long run in the team.

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"We are all excited to see Vaibhav play but he has to go through the same process but certainly no question about how good he is," he asserted echoing a view that was expressed by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak at the beginning of the series.

Sooryavanshi finished as the top scorer in this year's IPL with a jaw-dropping strike rate of over 230. He amassed 776 runs to be adjudged the Most Valuable Player as well as the Emerging Player of the season.

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The anticipation surrounding his inclusion in the playing XI is expected to grow further as India now head to England for a T20 series beginning July 1 in Chester-le-Street.

If he makes his debut during this tour, he will become India's youngest international debutant, surpassing a record held by the great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut as a 16-year-old.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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· Perth Now

Lewandowski close to Chicago Fire switch

· Yahoo Sports

Lewandowski won three La Liga titles with Barcelona [Getty Images]

Former Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is close to a move to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire.

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The 37-year-old Poland international left the La Liga club at the end of the season when his contract expired and is expected to sign a two-year deal in Chicago.

Last December, Fire said they had talks with Lewandowski over a potential move.

He has been on their 'discovery list', meaning no other MLS club can sign him without paying a fee to them and there has been constant dialogue between both parties.

As well as Fire, there had been interest from AC Milan and the Saudi Pro League in Poland's record goalscorer, who is expected to become one of the highest earners in the MLS.

His arrival would be a huge boost to Chicago, which boasts one of the largest Polish communities outside of Poland.

Fire, who are currently third in the MLS Eastern Conference having made their first play-off appearance last season, return to action after the World Cup break on Friday, 17 July when they take on Vancouver.

Lewandowski spent 12 seasons in Germany's Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, winning 10 league titles and leading Bayern to the 2020 Champions League title.

He was considered the frontrunner to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or but the award was not given out that year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He finished second in Ballon d'Or voting in 2021, and won the Best Fifa Men's Player Award in 2020 and 2021.

After moving to Barcelona in 2022, he helped them win three La Liga titles and the 2025 Copa del Rey, scoring 120 goals in 193 games.

However, a number of injuries over the past year meant he started only 17 league games last season.

Since his departure, Barca have signed Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon on a five-year deal worth more than 80m euros (£69.3m), while they await a decision on Marcus Rashford, who spent last season on loan from Manchester United.

Reports on Monday say they are also interested in a move for England striker Harry Kane, who is in the final year of his contract with Bayern Munich.

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