Speedster Umran Malik’s stocks are on the rise ever since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, where he took 22 scalps in 14 games for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Thanks to his IPL exploits, Umran earned his India call-up and he has already made a mark at the highest level by consistently bowling at the speed of 150 kmph or more. The Jammu and Kashmir lad has represented India in 8 ODIs and as many T20Is so far, claiming a total of 24 wickets.

During the white-ball series against Sri Lanka earlier this year, Umran touched the speed of 156 km/h, which is the fastest delivery bowled by an Indian pacer in international cricket.

Impressed by his performance, senior India pacer Ishant Sharma has advised Umran Malik to concentrate only on bowling fast and instill fear in the batter’s mind.

“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 on Cricbuzz show ‘Rise Of New India’.

Veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik also showered rich praise on Malik, saying that the latter has worked on his consistency when it comes to the length of the ball.

“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. 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,” he stated.

Karthik feels the captain will have to play a pivotal role in the handling and management of Umran Malik.

“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 further remarked