Veteran India bowler Ashish Nehra talked highly of young pace sensation Umran Malik and suggested that the youngster is not limiting himself to the shortest format of the game as he wants to excel in longer formats too. Umran produced incredible show with the ball in IPL 2022 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer grabbed the limelight for clocking 145kmph at regular intervals. He claimed 22 wickets in 14 matches and also won the Emerging Player of the Year award.
Umran recently impressed several former cricketers and fans with his express pace in the ODI series against New Zealand. He claimed two wickets on his ODI debut, but he didn’t get a chance to bowl in the second match which was called off due to rain. He was also part of India’s XI for the series decider where he picked a wicket but the rain didn’t allow him to complete his quota of overs.
Nehra revealed that he has seen Umran bowling 20 overs with the same rapid face as he wants to make a name for himself in all three formats and didn’t want to limit himself to just T20Is.
“There is no doubt that he is one of the shining lights of not only this tour but whenever he has played before. Everybody is excited about him and the main reason is his pace. You said that he is not someone who is only looking to bowl 4 overs. He has started his career with T20 cricket but I have seen him bowl 16-18 and 20 overs with rapid pace. He is young, he is quick. He is not someone who will hold back or bowl only 80-85 percent. He is not someone only looking to play T20 cricket which is a great thing in today’s day and age,” Nehra said on Prime Video.
The Gujarat Titans head coach further suggested that Umran displayed good control with the old in the ODI series against New Zealand and said he has all the credentials to become the next big thing.
“We have seen how T20 cricket has evolved. Majority of the players are keener to play T20 cricket first and that way he is different. The more you play the better he will get. He has shown good control with the old ball and it will be interesting to see how he bowls with the new ball, how the selectors use him and how the management wants him to be used. There is no doubt about it that all eyes will be on him in near future,” he added.
