Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) retained Umran Malik for Rs 4 crore for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) edition and the reason for retention was his genuine tearway pace which is yielding results in the 15th season of the cash-rich league.
Just couple of days back, the 22-year-old shattered his own record to clinch the fastest delivery bowled by an Indian players ever in IPL as he clocked 157 kmph against Delhi Capitals (DC). Not just the speed, he also proved his bowling prowess when he scalped 5/25 against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 28 and put his best bowling performance in the glitzy league so far.
However, former India head coach Ravi Shastri while pointing at Malik said that his speed isn't of any value in a format like T20 unless he gets the ball in right areas.
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and SRH which the former later won by 67 runs, Shastri issued a strict warning to the speedster saying that if he doesn't manage to channelise the ball in the right areas, the deliveries will be hit with double the power, leaving his searing quick deliveries valueless.
"He will play for India very soon but if you don't get it right that 156 will go for 256 off the bat. And that is exactly what is happening. The pace is good, but you got to get it in your mind that you have to out it in the right areas. Otherwise, just hold yourself back and use that space sparingly to surprise the batter. Those kind of thoughts should go to your mind," Shastri said.
“If you don't get it right, you are going to fetch and fetch big time. It goes off the bat at 250 to 300 speed! The pitches will slow up as the tournament progresses and it has become more batting friendly now so has got to get it right. I'm seeing the media and everywhere it say 156, 157 - it doesn't matter in this format. You have to get it in the right areas and he has it. If he attacks the stumps he will be far more consistent. 156, 157 - very good - but channelise it in the right direction,” he added.
Malik remained wicket-less in the match as he conceded 25 runs in mere two overs. As far as his performance in IPL 2022 is concerned, Malik has snared 15 wickets and since that game, he has gone wicket-less so far.
