The Indian men’s cricket team are gearing up for an extensive series in South Africa, featuring three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches, commencing on December 10. Additionally, India A will partake in two four-day matches and a three-day match alongside the senior team. The recent Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcement on November 30 revealed separate squads for the T20Is, ODIs, and Tests, accompanied by India A's squads.
Rohit Sharma remains captain for the Test series, while KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav will lead in ODIs and T20Is respectively. Meanwhile, KS Bharat, who has played five Test matches for India in 2023, is set to captain the India A team.
Despite numerous domestic cricket standouts making it to the A team, Umran Malik, a notable performer and arguably India's fastest bowler, was notably absent from all squads. This omission didn't sit well with former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, now an expert and commentator, who expressed his surprise and disappointment through a tweet on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating, "I’m pretty sure the guy who was in the Indian team’s playing 11 few months back can surely find a place in India A side. #umranmalik." Pathan's tweet regarding Umran's exclusion has gained significant attention online.
An X user replying to Irfan’s tweet stated, “Not yet. Only pace will get you so far. Line and length important too and most important, he is serving an ankle injury and not even playing VHT.”
Umran Malik gained prominence in 2021 when he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad as a replacement for the injured T Natarajan. His exceptional performance in the IPL 2022, where he claimed 22 wickets in 14 matches, solidified his place in the squad. Despite being India's fastest bowler, Umran made his T20I debut against Ireland in June 2022 and has featured in eight T20Is and 10 ODIs. His most recent appearance for India was against the West Indies on July 29, 2023, in Bridgetown, Barbados.