With Team India continuing to fret over Jasprit Bumrah's replacement, an official decision of which is yet to be taken by the BCCI, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has thrown a unique name in the hat. As the team management continues to mull over a possible replacement for their premier pacer, who last week was ruled out due to an injured back, several fast-bowling options have come to the fore. Earlier, Deepak Chahar, thanks to his handy batting, along with Mohammed Shami was the front-runner to replace Bumrah, but an injury to him has further narrowed the list down.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that the fast-bowling trio of Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur will fly to Australia on Thursday to link up with the Indian squad. And it is quite possible that one of these three will be announced as Bumrah's official replacement. However, the bowler Akram wants to see in the Indian squad is pace sensation Umran Malik, who so far has featured in only three T20Is for India.
"You see that guy? Umran Malik... he is quick. India took him to Ireland and he got hammered. It happens in T20, but you got to stick with him. If I were in think tank, then I will have him in the squad all the time. The more he plays, the better he will become. Experience in Twenty20 matters a lot," Akram told reporters.
{{/usCountry}}"You see that guy? Umran Malik... he is quick. India took him to Ireland and he got hammered. It happens in T20, but you got to stick with him. If I were in think tank, then I will have him in the squad all the time. The more he plays, the better he will become. Experience in Twenty20 matters a lot," Akram told reporters.
{{/usCountry}}Umran was shortlisted as one of the net bowlers, along with Kuldeep Sen to travel Down Under but the 22-year-old apparently ran into some visa issues, due to which he is yet to depart for Australia. But with time running out, the door is slowly closing on Umran's World Cup dreams. There is no shortage of speed for Umran but many experts feel that the youngster needs to be a lot more disciplined with his line and length before being given a long run with the Indian team. Weighing in on the same, Akram explained bowlers should be prepared to get hit especially in T20Is and how Umran's case is no different.
"Unfortunately, Twenty20 format is not for bowlers. The format is the need of the hour, it is entertaining and it's picked up worldwide. Bowlers should understand that they will be hammered once in a while, which they do now," Akram added.
"Flat decks become one-dimensional. The pitches in Dubai offered a bit for the bowlers and once it is set then the next day it is better for batters. That should be the future of the format."