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'He can be a very awkward customer': Ravi Shastri on what Umran Malik must do to star regularly in Indian team
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that the time might as well get Umran Malik to play now that he has been picked in the T20 squad that will face South Africa.
Sunrisers Hyderabad may not have had the best of seasons in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) but their fast bowler Umran Malik was probably the biggest standout in the tournament. The 22-year-old sent the speed gun spinning every time he bowled and earned plaudits for the consistency with which he bowler quick.
All of this earned him a maiden call-up to the Indian team in the squad that has been picked for the five-match T20I series at home against South Africa. It hadn't been all smooth-sailing for Umran in the 2022 IPL though and there were matches in which he leaked runs and couldn't pick a single wicket.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that Umran currently needs to work on his lines but not too much else.
“If he can focus and get the lines right where he attacks the stumps more, then he can be a very awkward customer, especially if there is something in the surface, if it is two-paced, it has a bit of juice in it, at that pace he can rattle you, especially newcomers who come into bat,” Shastri said on Star Sports.
"There is not too much work to be done. It's just about making him more consistent in what he does, which means his practice sessions in the nets will revolve around line more than anything else. He hits the right areas length-wise but line-wise he sometimes struggles," said Shastri.
Shastri said that India should get him to play in the first match of the series.
“If you have picked him, may as well give him an opportunity, see how he goes. I think the best thing is that he is part of the mix. I kept saying he should always be part of the mix and then you can work on him whilst he is there,” he said.
"Glad he is part of the team and he will do his quantity of bowling in the nets and in the middle if he does well, it's just about smelling the coffee at that level. You play for India and you do well in one or two matches and then you are away, especially if you have got the pace."
