After becoming the talk of the town for his searing pace, Umran Malik earned his maiden India call-up for the home T20I series against South Africa.
Although the young speedster did not get a chance, he was named for the two-match T20I series against Ireland. He finally made his debut in the first T20I on Sunday (June 27) at the Village Stadium in Dublin.
Malik's T20I debut was credited to the IPL by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Malik, who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 season, consistently bowled at a pace that exceeded 150 kmph.
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The 22-year-old ended the season as the tournament’s fourth highest wicket-taker, with 22 wickets to his name in 14 games.
Prior to the first T20I against Ireland, which India easily won by seven wickets, the Jammu and Kashmir lad, received his India cap from Sunrisers and current India teammate Bhuvneshwar.
"Umran and other youngsters from around the world have made their debut because of the IPL which is great," Bhuvneshwar Kumar said after the match.
However, the young seamer just bowled one over while giving up 14 runs in his first game wearing India colors.
After captain Hardik Pandya put Ireland into bat, Bhuvneshwar struck early. In his three overs, which included a maiden, the seasoned seamer grabbed one wicket while conceding just 16 runs.
Reflecting on his own performance, Bhuvneshwar said, "There was swing with the new ball, it got better after 5-6 overs. Thought it would get harder with the moisture, but didn't. It's good to bowl Test-match line and length. Glad it worked out. We get good support wherever we go."
The second T20I will get be played on Tuesday (June 28) in Dublin.
(INDIA TODAY INPUTS)