Umran Malik has been selected for India’s T20I series against South Africa.© BCCI/IPL
Umran Malik conquered the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with his speed. The 22-year-old Umran played for SunRisers Hyderabad, taking 22 wickets in 14 matches. The pacer regularly clocked over 150 km/h as he emerged as one of the best bowlers in this edition of the T20 franchise cricket league. The BCCI selectors also noted his good performance and named him in the Indian squad for the upcoming five-T20I series against South Africa, which starts on 9 June.
In an interview with DailyExpertNews, Umran spoke about how life has changed for him after the IPL. “It feels really good when people recognize your efforts. So many people have come to my house and congratulated me. Also, so many great players have praised me. It feels really good,” said Umran, who is from Jammu and Kashmir.
“From the beginning of my career I have been bowling fast. It is gifted by God and natural. I like bowling fast. I like to take wickets because if I take wickets my team will win. If I don’t take wickets, I like to bowl in the right places. Batters also get scared when you bowl fast. That feels good too.”
Umran climbed the ranks after starting tennis ball cricket in Jammu and Kashmir. “At that time I was nicknamed Ghajini because I did my haircut like in the movie (Aamir Khan tried the main character’s character). Then I played U-19 cricket and then got the chance in the IPL,” added Umran to. “In Jammu and Kashmir you come across a lot of bowlers who bowl at a speed of 130-140 km/h.
promoted
“I got help from Abdul Samad (fellow SRH and Jammu and Kashmir player). Also Irfan Pathan helped me a lot. He was the mentor of Jammu and Kashmir team. I sent him my videos and he suggested some changes in my bowling.”
Speaking about the T20I series against South Africa, Umran said: “I hope to do my best for the team. Hopefully we will win all five games.”
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