"May Leak Runs If...": Virender Sehwag Has This Take On Umran Malik's Fast Bowling
India great Virender Sehwag is also highly impressed with Umran but has a word of advice on how to use the fast bowler going forward.
Umran Malik, the SunRisers Hyderabad pacer, got justly rewarded for his superb performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with a call-up to the Indian cricket squad for the upcoming five-T20I series against South Africa at home. Umran finished the league stage of the IPL 2022 as the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps in 14 games. The 22-year-old express fast bowler has startled all with his pace, often touching 150-plus kmph on the speed gun. With a selection in the Indian team, Umran's progress will be closely watched, especially with the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia in five months' time.
India great Virender Sehwag is also highly impressed with Umran but has a word of advice on how to use the fast bowler going forward.
"Umran Malik is no doubt a special talent with the speed with which he bowls. He needs to be handled with care by Team India and the India captain. He is that kind of bowler who, if used too much in the Powerplay, may leak runs in every match. But if he is used judiciously, he can be an asset," Sehwag said in an interview to Cricbuzz.
The five-match T20I series against South Africa starts on June 9, with a game in New Delhi.
Speaking about Umran's inclusion in the India squad, former coach Ravi Shastri said that if he is bowling well in the nets, the team might decide to "unleash him at the earliest" against the South Africans.
"I think the association with the Indian team is absolute right. He can be groomed properly. On current form, they might just play him. If he is bowling well in the nets and doing the right things, they might unleash him at the earliest against South Africa," Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo show 'T20 Time Out'.
India's T20I squad for SA series: KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
Virender Sehwag
India Cricket Team