New Delhi: Kashmir-born Umran Malik's lethal bowling was the highlight of the first day of the five-day Irani Trophy match between Saurashtra Cricket Association and Rest of India (ROI), which started in Rajkot on Saturday. There was no better time for Umran to give a stunning bowling performance as several media reports suggested that BCCI has decided to replace injured Jasprit Bumrah with another pacer in India's T20 World Cup team.
The Indian team will reportedly arrive in Australia on October 6 for T20 World Cup 2022. India's first stop will be Perth, where a week-long camp will be held. After that, the team will travel to Brisbane.
Umran Malik did not let down the selectors as he had a dream day while bowling against Saurashtra on the first day of the Irani Trophy. Sensational bowling spells from Bengal's Mukesh Kumar (four-wicket haul), Umran Malik (3 wickets) and Kuldeep Sen (3 wickets). Rest of India (ROI) batters capitalised on their team's bowling performance, ending Day 1's play with a 1-run lead.
Umran Malik's pace can destroy any batter#UmranMalikpic.twitter.com/sd5j3fvpD5
— Cric (@Ld30972553) October 1, 2022
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 turned out to be a breakthrough season for Sunrisers Hyderabad speedster Umran Malik. The young pace bowler from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) bowled extremely well to bag 22 wickets to earn his maiden call-up for India vs South Africa five-match T20 International series.
In an exclusive interview with the Indian Express, Umran Malik recalled his childhood days as he talked about what encouraged him to attain such great pace.
Speaking to the Indian Express, Umran said, “I loved fast bowling from the beginning. When I was young, I would play with a plastic ball at home and would get scolded for breaking glass windows. But even then, my mother would not stop me from playing and would say, ‘khel, tod’ (Play, break)."