IND vs SA 2022: Umran Malik doesn’t just have pace, he knows how to pick wickets – VRV Singh

Former Indian fast bowler VRV Singh reckons Umran Malik doesn’t only have the pace but also knows how to pick wickets. Malik has been the cynosure of all eyes since he impressed with his ability to bowl fast in the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2022.

The gun fast bowler, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, scalped 22 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 20.18 and an economy rate of 9.01 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Malik bowled consistently above 145 km/h in the IPL and also more importantly bowled accurately while playing under the mentorship of bowling coach Dale Steyn. There is no doubt that Malik still has to make a lot of improvements in his game however he has shown the skills to go a long way in his career.

Malik had returned with impressive figures of 5-25 in a clash against Gujarat Titans and had bowled at the stumps in that game.

On the other hand, fast bowlers like Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Mukesh Chaudhary also impressed in the IPL. Thus, India has a rich battery of fast bowlers as the young players are rising through the ranks.

“Umran is a special talent. Mohsin has pace and hits the hard lengths. Avesh also has pace and bowls variations too. Arshdeep has been bowling the tough overs for Punjab (Kings). Prasidh bowled beautifully during the West Indies series and knows what kind of variations are needed on any surface. Mukesh also did well in the IPL this year.

So this shows they are mentally strong. All the pacers that have come through in these past couple of years have pace and skill, but they are also perfect tactically. They know when to bowl what kind of delivery. All of them have the potential to play for India. I am very happy that we have such a huge pool of fast bowlers in India,” the former Indian cricket team pacer VRV Singh told Sportskeeda.

Meanwhile, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik are part of the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa. The first T20I will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Thursday.

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