Team India kick-started 2023 on a winning note after debutant Shivam Mavi delivered a dream spell with the ball and rolled out the Men in Blue's path to a thrilling victory over Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium on January 03 (Tuesday). Mavi snared 4/22 on his maiden international game to keep Sri Lankan batters in check while defending a 163-run target. India had to really eke out a win in the neck-to-neck encounter which could have gone either way had Axar Patel failed to defend 13 runs in the last over. India survived the Sri Lanka scare and won the match by two runs.
Mavi got ample support from pace sensation Umran Malik, who bamboozled the visiting batter with his searing speed. During a historic night at Wankhede Stadium, the right-arm pacer notched the quickest delivery ever bowled by an Indian pacer in international cricket.
History transpired on the fourth delivery of the 17th over when the 23-year-old unleashed a 155kph thunderbolt to dismiss Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka. The Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer broke senior paceman Jasprit Bumrah's mark of 153.36 kph.
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Playing just his fourth T20I game for India, Umran finished with figures of 2/27 in four overs that included wickets of explosive batters like Charith Asalanka (12 runs off 15 balls) and Shanaka (45 runs off 27 balls). The right-arm pacer burst into the scene while for Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has since become a household name in the cricket fraternity.
Last year, former India captain and legendary batter, Sunil Gavaskar said, "The last time I got really excited at seeing an Indian player was Sachin Tendulkar. And after that I am excited to see Umran Malik."
