Fast bowler Umran Malik was recently selected in the Indian squad for India’s upcoming T20I series against South Africa. Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Umran Malik managed to make it to Team India for the first time due to his impressive performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season. The 22-year-old Umran impressed the selectors by bowling at a speed of 150 kmph. He went on to win the ‘Fastest Ball of the Match’ award for 14 consecutive times in the recently concluded IPL 2022.
Umran, who took 22 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2022 at an average of 20.18, smashed several batting attacks with his quick pace and became the fastest Indian to bowl the ball in IPL history. He bowled the ball at a speed of 157 kmph in the match against Delhi Capitals.
The talent of Umran Malik, the son of a fruit seller and a resident of Jammu, has also been praised by former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee. Brett Lee said that Umran reminds him of Pakistani legend Waqar Younis.
Pakistan’s fast bowler Waqar Younis, in the heyday of his career, used the art of speed and reverse swing bowling to emphasize the strength of the batsmen of the opposition teams. Waqar Younis took 373 Test and 416 ODI wickets (789 total) in his illustrious career.
Brett Lee said in a conversation with news agency ANI, ‘I am a big fan of Umran Malik. I think Umran Malik has a lot of momentum. He is a computer. Such a brilliant bowler, who runs like many fast bowlers in the past. Among those fast bowlers, Waqar Younis is the person who first comes to mind.
Brett Lee also talked about Virat Kohli’s poor form with the bat. The star Indian batsman is going through the worst phase of his career. He scored just 341 runs in 16 matches in IPL 2022. Their IPL 2022 came to an end after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s seven-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2.
Brett Lee said, ‘I am a big fan of Virat Kohli like many people in the world. I really hope he gets his chance. They just need some time. He spends some time with his family and resets himself. Hopefully we will see him score some hundreds.
The former captain of the Indian cricket team got out after scoring just 7 runs in his last match of IPL 2022. Kohli opened the innings in most of his matches in IPL 2022. Despite this, he scored runs at an average of 22.73. During this his strike rate also remained the same at 115.98.