Umran Malik impressed everyone in IPL 2022 with his express pace. He consistently clicked above 150 kmph while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Team India coach Rahul Dravid is also highly impressed with the skill set of the young fast bowler.
After a memorable run in the cash-rich league, Umran Malik has been selected in the Indian T20I squad for the series against South Africa. In a press conference ahead of the 1st T20I match, Dravid called Umran Malik an exciting player to watch out for.
Dravid praised the quick pace of Malik with which he bowled in nets. The Indian coach believes that Umran will get better with time. The former India captain said:
“Yeah, it is exciting. He certainly bowled quick and with pace. But it is brilliant in terms of watching Umran in the nets, you can see that he has got that pace. Obviously, he is learning. He is a young boy and he is getting better, improving. The more he is able to play, the better he is going to get.”
Rahul Dravid was also delighted with the rise of the Indian pacers in the IPL. Dravid said that he would love to see these pacers perform in Test cricket too.
“Another thing which has been interesting for me watching the IPL from the outside is the number of Indian bowlers bowling fast. And obviously, being coach of all three formats of the game, I would love to see that translated into the longer formats of the game,” Rahul Dravid added.
“Exciting to have youngsters in the squad” – Rahul Dravid excited to work with young Indian pacers
When asked about the chances of Umran Malik making in the playing XI, Dravid said that he isn’t sure currently because they have a large squad, so it won’t be possible to give everyone a place in the playing XI.
“We have to see how much playing time we can give him, we need to be realistic, we have a large squad, it is not possible to give everyone playing XI time. I think I am certainly someone who likes to have that consistency and let them feel settled in the position. It would be interesting to see how much playing time we give to Umran, we also have Arshdeep here who is brilliant as well,” he added.
Rahul Dravid concluded saying that it would be exciting to work with youngsters in the squad.
“We have experience in the form of guys who have been with us before, Harshal, Bhuvi, Avesh. There are certain things we need to look at but it is nice and exciting to have a couple of young guys in the mix as well. It has given an opportunity for us to broaden our pool and see what they can do,” he added.
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