Umran Malik was fastracked into the national setup thanks to his ability to bowl consistently at a rapid pace. From an IPL net bowler in 2021 to making his India debut in 2022, the youngster has been taking quick strides.
However, the 23-year-old hasn’t looked as threatening as his express pace promised and in fact, proved to be quite expensive bowling with an economy of 10.48 in eight T20Is while in ODIs it’s 6.41.
In the absence of senior pacers including Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, it’s an ideal platform for someone like Umran to make an impression. However, in the series opener he did at times rushed the batters with his pace but it wasn’t threatening.
In his defense though, the pitch was spin-friendly and India turned to their two specialist spinners to exploit the conditions as pace attack took the backseat.
Former India pacer and world cup winner RP Singh feels that Umran’s biggest asset is his pace but he has to develop his skillset and learn how to outfox batters.
“I will still say, his biggest advantage is his pace,” Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. “The problem is the skill. The (ball) movement isn’t much right now, and planning the game (needs to improve). You also have to set batters up. He hasn’t learnt that as quickly as he should have. He concedes run, that remains the biggest worry. So, the Indian team needs to know how and when to use him.”
With the ODI World Cup a couple of months away, Singh things that Umran will remain in contention but India must play him consistently and allow him to bowl more so he can identify his weaknesses and improve on them.
“By the looks of it, he will remain in the loop for the World Cup. And you can’t develop a player by playing him one game and then benching him for two. If they think Umran Malik is one for the future, they have got to show faith in him and polish him,” he said.
Singh pointed out that Umran relied on cross-seam deliveries during the first ODI against West Indies and advised him to instead focus on seam only.
“I don’t think it’s a confidence issue, but there are a few things that I noticed while commentating during the 1st ODI. He was bowling cross-seam deliveries quite a lot, that could have been avoided. His pace was good but he bowled only three overs, which I felt were less. He could’ve been given more overs. Rohit opted to give the ball to Kuldeep instead,” Singh said,
“He was relying on cross-seam, maybe to find reverse. I think he should stick to seam only. I don’t find any major problem right now. If he gets 7-8 overs in a game with some consistent spells, he will be more aware of how his body is reacting, and whether he is in rhythm or not,” he added.
Singh, who took 124 wickets during his international career, says Umran will get better if he gets to play more.
“I don’t see any major issue with his bowling, though. I actually think his deliveries have started moving a bit. Things are still in his favour. He needs more matches. When you get 2-4 wickets, you don’t need external motivation,” Singh said.
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