India's head coach Rahul Dravid has hinted that pace sensation Umran Malik may not get to make his debut in the first T20I of the five-T20I series against South Africa at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on June 9. In the press conference ahead of the big series, Dravid said that it is yet to be seen how much of game time ‘Jammu Express’ will get in the series.
"We just have to see how much playing time we will be able to give him. We have a big squad, not possible to have everyone in the playing XI," Dravid said.
While Malik has grabbed eyeballs with his raw pace struggling batters in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Arshdeep Singh was spot-on in the slog overs for Punjab Kings (PBKS). Dravid also backed his experienced pacers and hinted the fast-bowling lineup against the Temba Bavuma-led side.
"I am someone who likes consistency and give people time to settle in. Arshdeep has also done well, who is also an exciting player, who bowls well.
"We have a little bit of experienced guys in Harshal, Bhuvi and Avesh, who played in the last series. It is exciting to have the young guys as well, it helps us broaden our pool and see what they can do," the 49-year-old said.
After hinting that Malik may not walk into the side straightaway, he lauded the 22-year-old who bowled the fastest ball by an Indian in the history of IPL. Also, he feels that Malik can do well in the Test format as well.
"He is exciting, certainly bowls quick and has pace. Another exciting thing in the IPL for me was to see the Indian players bowl really fast. The more he plays the better he gets. Very happy to have him in the mix.
"As a coach I would love to see it translate to the longer format of the game," he further added.
The speedster ended his IPL 2022 campaign with 22 wickets from 14 games including a fifer against Gujarat Titans (GT). He was retained by SRH for Rs 4 crore before IPL 2022 mega auctions.
