Umran Malik Soon To Play for India: From Sunil Gavaskar to Harbhahan Singh – Who said What
Umran Malik is a India Prospect: Jammu & Kashmir seamer and currently playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Umran Malik has impressed one and all with his pace and accuracy. On Sunday, Malik created history by becoming the first bowler to bowl a maiden in the final over of the first innings of a T20 match.
Here’s what former greats of the game spoke about Umran Malik:
“Umran Malik has been very-very impressive with his speed but more than his speed, it’s his accuracy (that’s impressed). A lot of guys who bowl at that speed tend to spray the ball around but Umran bowls very few wide deliveries. If he can control the wides down the leg side, he will be a tremendous bowler because that will mean he’ll be attacking the stumps all the time, and with his pace, it’s not easy to hit straight. If he bowls wicket-to-wicket, he’s going to be pretty much an unplayable bowler. He’s going to play for India,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
“I’ve been excited about this guy since I saw him bowl last year. Genuine pace, you cannot go to a supermarket and buy that. You can train someone to master line and length but can’t teach someone how to bowl fast. He’s bowling with hostility which means even the best of batters will be uncomfortable facing him. He scares you the same way Lockie Ferguson and Jofra Archer do, and Dale Steyn loves him. It’s just fascinating to me what Umran Malik can become. If he stays fit, he’s going to play for India and international cricket. I would also repeat how many Umran Malik’s around this vast nation are yet to be discovered,” Ian Bishop said on Cricket Live on Star Sports.
“My job with Umran is to ensure he runs fast and make players play differently. My job is to try and make him forward-thinking as to what the batters are planning on doing. It’s exciting for us to sit back and watch what a genius he is. I don’t want to turn him into what I was, all I want is his geniuses to come out,” Dale Steyn said.
“If a bowler has that extra pace then a batter is never comfortable facing him. The more he plays, the better he will get. If you observe his front foot, it stays very straight and also the follow-through is impressive. His run-up is fantastic. All this will take him the distance. He made his debut in first-class cricket and that must have given him some experience of bowling with the red ball. Umran is also special because despite bowling at such a pace he’s looking to try and get the ball to swing. Just look at the seam position with which he releases the ball. He is a special player,” said Irfan Pathan.
“This (Blue) is the only jersey missing and he should get it early. I feel he is the most deserving one who should be selected to play for India in that T20 World Cup in Australia. He could be your match-winner there,” said Harbhajan Singh on Star Sports.
“Umran Malik will play for India very soon….. If I was the @BCCI I would be sending him to play some County cricket this summer to help him develop first though,” Michael Vaughan wrote on his Twitter account.
“I think this guy has got talent. He has genuine pace and if he hits the right areas he is going to trouble a lot of batsmen. It is about handling him properly. It’s the messages that you give him, it’s the way you communicate with him that is going to be very very important. There is no doubt in his potential. This guy is an India player. When he is ready, only time will tell, but that communication part is extremely important. He should be handled with care and kept in the mix. He should be kept in the mix of the Indian cricket team, the A team. The selectors will have to watch him closely and keep him in the mix as much as they can. If this COVID thing persists and you need net bowlers or an extended party, have him there,” said Ravi Shastri on Star Sports.