IPL 2022: Umran Malik should be included in India’s squad for series against England – Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons Umran Malik should be included in India’s squad for the series against England.

India will play a one-off Test against England and also an ODI series. The Little Master is not only impressed by Malik’s raw pace but also by his deadly accuracy.

It has been noticed that Malik mostly bowls wicket to wicket and he has tremendously improved his accuracy while training under the tutelage of South African great Dale Steyn.

Malik has been consistently bowling around 150 kmph and he is breathing down the neck of the opposition batters with his express pace. The 22-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir has scalped 21 wickets in 13 matches for SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022 at an average of 20 and an economy rate of 8.93.

Sunil Gavaskar, who has all the experience under his belt, feels Malik can be a deadly bowler if he bowls straight at the wickets as it will be difficult for the batters to face him.

Malik has a smooth action and he is expected to get better with experience. In fact, experts like Michael Vaughan, Ian Bishop, and Daniel Vettori reckon Umran Malik should receive his maiden India call-up soon.

“Umran Malik has been very, very impressive with his speed but more than his speed, it’s his accuracy that’s impressed me the most,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports’ ‘Cricket Live’. “A lot of guys who bowl at that speed tend to spray the ball around but Umran bowls very few wide deliveries,” he explained.

“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,” Gavaskar further said.

“If he bowls wicket-to-wicket, he will be pretty much an unplayable bowler,” the former India captain claimed.

“He’s going to play for India,” he predicted and went on to say “He should be in that Indian squad for the one-off Test and the ODI series against England.”

Meanwhile, India will play one Test match against England from July 1. The five-match series was left incomplete after the Covid-19 cases in the visitors’ camp in 2021.