'Don't worry about leaking runs, bowl so fast that batters fail to see the ball’ – Ishant Sharma's advice to Umran Malik

Umran Malik, the Jammu and Kashmir pacer, came into the limelight in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. He was brilliant in the last IPL season as well, claiming 22 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Notably, after his impressive spell in the T20 format he got an India call-up last year and made his debut against Ireland.

The 23-year-old has played eight ODIs and as many T20Is so far. He has already bowled the fastest delivery by an Indian in international cricket (156 kmph). Meanwhile, he clocked 157 kmph in the IPL 2022 edition.

Meanwhile, veteran India fast bowler Ishant Sharma has some advice for young pacer Malik. He said that Malik has to concentrate more on bowling fast if has the caliber to bowl 150-160 kmph. He also said that if he do so it will trouble the batters in scoring runs.

“He shouldn’t worry about where the deliveries land. With experience, he will understand. So if he can bowl at 150 or 160, he should concentrate only on that. He should just back himself and should not worry about leaking runs. What is the use of bowling that fast if the batters don’t end up closing their eyes in fear? So, someone should tell him and give him the confidence that you have to bowl so fast that batters fail to see it," Ishant said during an interaction on the Cricbuzz show ‘Rise Of New India’. 

Dinesh Karthik opens up on chances to Umran Malik to get into World Cup 2023 squad

Veteran India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik was full also full of praise for Umran, stating he has worked on his consistency when it comes to the length of the ball. He also said that if he bowls more in the powerplay and death overs, he will get a chance to play in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

“Umran Malik was the find of the last IPL when it comes to fast bowling for sure. What he brought to the table was extreme pace which India have never had. What I really liked about him is that he has really worked on his consistency in length because when you bowl that fast it becomes really difficult to be consistent with length," said Karthik.

"He has also been someone who has bowled through the middle of the innings a lot more. The more he bowls in the powerplay and the death, it increases his chance of being in the 2023 World Cup team. And I think he has done that in the T20s. The key is how he is going to handled. The captain is going to be very very important for him. He is raw compared to other bowlers and doesn’t have that knowledge compared to other bowlers so the captain will play a huge role on how he is managed," he added.

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