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Cricket PlayersUmran Malik full of steam during India nets but concerns remain ahead of 1st T20I vs South Africa
India vs South Africa: Umran Malik, in his first net session as part of the Indian squad, bowled in full tilt but his lines and lengths were inconsistent.
Umran Malik falls a couple of inches short of the definition of a tall fast bowler but his athlete-like physique makes up for it. With a neatly trimmed military-like hairdo and a sleeveless vest that kept his chiselled arms in full view, Umran was unmissable in India's first practice session ahead of the South Africa series. Under the scorching Delhi sun at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Umran made his presence felt. He knew he was being watched - by the reporters, by the groundstaff, by the technicians, by pretty much everyone present at the venue. But unlike bowling his heart out, Umran is yet to master the art of playing to the gallery. His sheepish glances towards the gathering were proof. But by no means, he was uncomfortable with the chasing eyeballs.
Pace is one of the most exciting factors of cricket, even more so in India. The buzz around a rare talent like Umran Malik is therefore quite understandable. Umran's recent exploits in IPL 2022, which revolved around his150 km/h thunderbolts for Sunrisers Hyderabad, have turned him into the wow factor of the Indian side even before his international debut.
After a brief warm-up session and a lap around the ground, Umran followed the rest of his teammates to the nets just to the left of Gate No.1 of the Arun Jaitley Stadium. One could almost sense the anticipation building the moment he was handed over a ball. It was a net session, that too an optional one but Umran's presence made every moment of it exciting. There was that known unknown factor and the desire to watch him train as a part of the squad for the first time. He did tour with the Indian side as a net bowler previously but the buzz around him was now different... Far greater.
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India's stand-in captain for this series KL Rahul, and openers Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad took the first, second and third net from the right. The fourth net was empty. That is where Umran was loosening up.
He bowled a couple of deliveries with a half run-up. Head coach Rahul Dravid was standing close to where an umpire would be in the net in which Umran had just started to roll his arms over. India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey was a few inches away from the stumps.
One, two, three and a rip. Umran bowled another ball, this time with an even shorter run-up. It was an unusual way to start a practice session but Umran and India's coaching staff seemed to be in perfect sync. They made it look like a plan to get the young man from Jammu all warmed up.
After another one of those half run-up deliveries at an empty net, the plan changed. Shreyas Iyer slowly made his way into the batting crease, marked his guard and took his stance. But to everyone's surprise, Umran still didn't bowl with a full run-up. His release, however, had more energy. The ball fizzed past Iyer's flashing blade.
KL Rahul's thundering slog sweeps, square cuts against the spinners and Ishan Kishan's backfoot punches created a lot of noise at the adjacent nets but the eyes were glued to Umran's activities. He was yet to bowl at full tilt but his previous delivery had beaten Iyer for pace.
Just when it was looking Umran was all geared up to test Iyer with his full might, coach Dravid decided to have a chat with the right-arm seamer. Quite expectedly Dravid did all the talking and Umran's contribution was majorly restricted to affirmative nods and the occasional word or two.
The discussion went on for roughly 5-6 minutes before Umran sat inside a makeshift tent and did some strapping on his legs.
The longer the 22-year-old sat inside the tent, the higher the tension rose about his well being. Was he carrying a niggle? He was yet to bowl a single delivery with a full run-up after all. The concerns, however, would vanish a few minutes later.
Umran made his way to the third net from the right. Rishabh Pant had already replaced Rahul by then. The man from Jammu marked his run-up and started to bowl at full tilt. Pant, however, appeared to be quite comfortable. He showed no mercy. The faster Umran bowled, the harder Pant would smack. The lack of consistency in Umran's length was evident. He was too short to Pant on most occasions.
"CHANGE!" shouted Mhambrey. It was time for the batters and bowlers to switch. Umran shifted towards the left where he had Deepak Hooda in front of him.
Now fully warmed up and a tad disappointed by the treatment received from Pant, Umran started to bowl with greater energy. The occasional grunt while releasing the ball ringed around the practice area. Hooda was hurried on to the strokes a few times. Umran even dismissed him once by drawing a leading edge.
Even though Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh bowled much better than Umran in the first training session, the Jammu pacer's yorker to Deepak Hooda sent a quiet reminder that time and again he can dish out something special.
