The found of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) pace sensation Umran Malik has put up some splendid performances in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league. Umran has come long way. From being a net bowler to be among the top five bowlers in the season with 15 wickets so far, he has seen it all.
The Jammu-based bowler also bowled his best spell in the IPL against Gujarat Titans where he bagged a stunning 5/25 on April 27, which grabbed a lot of eyeballs.
However, in the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) he was seen ineffective as he conceded 48 runs in a spell of four overs without taking a wicket. Nevertheless, Umran has left many cricketing greats awe-struck with his breath-taking speed.
Meanwhile, cricketing legend and former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar too has been in awe of Malik's performance, in fact, he came up with a unique suggestion for the batters on how to face the 22-year-old.
Speaking on Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL, Gavaskar said the best way to deal with Malik is: “Take a single and go to the non-striker's end.”
The conversation didn't end here as the 1983 World Cup winner quipped another technique to deal with Malik's pace.
"Don't give him a sight of your stumps. Cover all three stumps so that when he runs in to bowl, he has got to see where is the off stump, where is the leg stump," he said.
He frequently exceeds 150 kmph, and on Sunday (May 1), during Match 46 against CSK, he created a new tournament mark by bowling a 154 kmph ball against former Indian skipper MS Dhoni in the CSK innings’ final over. However, SRH went on to lose the match by 13 runs.
The Sunrisers are in fourth place in the league table, with five victories in nine games played so far, and are on course to qualify for the playoffs after placing last in the 2021 season of the league.
