Dawid Malan made an impressive comeback to Test cricket by scoring 70 runs in England’s first innings in the third Test against India at Headingley, Leeds.
The batsman was asked about the upcoming T20 World Cup and the Ashes, however, the world’s top-ranked T20I batsman said that he is committed to playing the second-leg Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) and will think about the T20 World Cup and Ashes later.
"The only guarantee we have at the moment is IPL -- we don't know if we're going to the World Cup and we don't know if we're going to the Ashes, so it leaves us in quite a tough situation. I think all possibilities but at the moment I'm committed to the IPL. Yeah that's where I am at the moment. Nothing sort of changed at the moment, maybe we can reassess,” Dawid Malan said in a virtual press conference after the second day’s play.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) batsman might have resurrected his Test career after sharing a 139-run partnership with skipper Joe Root (121). He, however, said that IPL was his primary focus.
"Say you give up the IPL and you don't get picked for either of the England squads, then you've given up the IPL. There is no guarantees at the moment, it (Ashes) is still a long way to go. There is five innings left in the Test series so far.
Or if you go to IPL and then you get selected after you've gone to IPL, then you're sat in the bubble for five-and-a-half months. Hopefully we can get some answers and we can find some time to get a rest out of these bubbles,” he added.
Malan played just one match in the first half of IPL 2021 and scored 26 runs.
(With AP inputs)
