Umran Malik, Sunrisers Hyderabad pace sensation has been the cynosure of India’s 18-member team for the impending five-match T20I series at home against South Africa. The youngster has been rewarded for his impressive performance in the ongoing IPL 2022 with a maiden India call-up, a selection that was backed by most veteran cricketers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s pace sensation Umran Malik and Punjab Kings’ Arshdeep Singh have been named in India’s 18-member squad for the five home T20Is against South Africa, starting on June 9.
But former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has issued a huge warning to the team management and the skipper after Umran Malik’s selection.
The 22-year-old pacer from Jammu and Kashmir has taken IPL 2022 by storm as he has amassed 22 wickets in 14 games at a strike rate of just 13.41, an average of 20.18, and an economy rate of 9.03. And with his wicket-taking abilities comes his ability to consistently hit the 150 kph speed mark.
Umran Malik Has To Be Used Carefully By The Indian Skipper Reckons Virender Sehwag
Following the big announcement by the BCCI on Sunday, Virender Sehwag hailed Umran Malik as “a special talent” and admitted that the youngster can emerge to be an “asset” for the Indian team, but suggested stand-in captain KL Rahul should use the bowler effectively during the series against South Africa.
“Umran Malik is a special talent because of the speed with which he bowls. Hence, he has to be used carefully by India and the India captain.
“Because he is a player, if used too much in the powerplay, may end up conceding a lot of runs. However, if he is used effectively, he can become an asset for the Indian team,” he said.
Umran Malik was still waiting to debut even as IPL 2021 went into its final week of the league stage. He got a go in the last three games Sunrisers Hyderabad played; while two months later, he had the distinction of being the player to have featured in the fewest IPL matches before being retained.
Umran Malik had picked 22 scalps from 14 IPL 2022 games averaging an impressive 20.18 at an economy rate of 9.03 with a best of 5/25. He is breaking the speed barrier for bowling consistently at about 150 kph. Sunrisers Hyderabad pace sensation is SRH’s leading wicket-taker this season.
Mohammad Azharuddin Reckons Managing Umran Malik’s Workload Is Critical
Earlier, former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin too had expressed concern over Umran Malik after backing the pacer to make the Test team as well. He feels that his workload should be managed properly, failing which he could incur injuries.
“Umran Mailk deserves to be picked in test team. Managing his workload is critical, failing which he can succumb to injures. Hope he is provided the support an express fast bowler needs. #UmranMalik #IPL2022,” he tweeted.
The five-match T20I series between India and South Africa will commence on June 9 in Delhi. Also, the remaining 4 games of the series will be held in Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Bengaluru respectively.
Umran Malik was able to bag 22 wickets in 14 games in the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He picked his wickets at an average of 20.18, an economy of 9.03, and a strike rate of 13.41, including a four-wicket haul and a five-wicket haul.
So far, he has 24 scalps in 17 match career. He has picked up the prized scalps of Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha, and David Miller to name a few.
India’s T20I squad: KL Rahul (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC, 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