Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the recently held Indian Premier League (IPL), Umran Malik became a household name for his express pace. He consistently clocked the 150 kmph mark with the ball and troubled some of the top batters in the tournament.

The 22-year-old featured in all 14 league matches for SRH, claiming 22 wickets at an economy rate of 9.03. For his impressive showing in IPL 2022, the Srinagar lad earned the Emerging Player award and also received his maiden call-up to the senior Indian team for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa.

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Speaking to bcci.tv, Umran opened up about his feelings on being named in the squad for the five-T20I series, starting June 9 in Delhi.

“Thanks to god, I got an India call-up as it was my dream to play for the country,” he stated.

Ahead of the series opener, Umran Malik attended India’s practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The tearaway fast bowler was on cloud nine after having interactions with head coach Rahul Dravid and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey.

“I was very excited as I joined Team India and practised with everyone. I was positive that I would be able to bowl well, I was confident,” he said. “The team environment is healthy as everyone is like brothers after we played together in the IPL.”

“I was delighted to interact with a legend as big as Rahul Sir. He advised me to stick to my strategies. Paras Sir was also guiding me on how to bowl and it gave me a lot of confidence because if a coach talks to you, it’s for your improvement,” Umran said.

Talking about his idols, Umran Malik said he used to follow the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

“When I used to play with the tennis ball, I used to watch Bhuvi bhai, Shami bhai aur Bumrah bowling yorkers,” he remarked.