SunRisers Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik lit up the IPL 2022 season with his raw pace, which saw him taking 22 wickets. His performance did not go unnoticed as he was named in India's 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa, beginning June 9 in Delhi. A day after being named in the team, Umran met his mentor Irfan Pathan and they had "a tiny celebration". Irfan Pathan shared pictures on Twitter in which Umran can be seen feeding cake to Irfan and SRH teammate Abdul Samad.
"A tiny Celebration … #debut #UmranMalik," tweeted Pathan.
Irfan Pathan was earlier the mentor of Jammu and Kashmir side and it was there that he took Umran under his wings to groom him.
In an interview with NDTV, Umran had revealed how Irfan Pathan had helped him.
"Speed comes naturally to me. This year I am trying to work on hitting the right areas. I always used to bowl fast. I am my own role model. When Irfan Pathan came to train us, I used to jump out and I was pretty erratic, I was not able to bowl in one area consistently. But when he came, I began to jump out less and I started getting the right rhythm. I just want to make Jammu and Kashmir proud and I want to make the country proud. I just want to perform well," Umran Malik had told NDTV.
Umran ended the IPL 2022 league stage as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. With SRH out of the tournament, he will not get a chance to add to his tally of 22 wickets.