After putting up an outstanding performance in the IPL 2022, taking 22 wickets in 14 games, Umran Malik earned his maiden India call-up for the five-match T20I series against South Africa at home but didn’t get an opportunity to play. He finally made his debut in the recently concluded two-match T20I series in Ireland.

In the first T20I, Malik bowled just one over, conceding 14 runs in it. In the second T20I, he faced his biggest test yet when he was asked by skipper Hardik Pandya to bowl the decisive over in Ireland's chase in Dublin. 

The young seamer did have 17 runs to defend, but he still had to maintain his composure and bowl to George Dockrell who was batting really well, and the short boundaries made defending runs even more difficult. But he was successful at a crucial point in his very young career.

Despite taking Lorcan Tucker's wicket, he went for 42 runs in his four overs, but all the bowlers in the game had a costly day. The fact that he accepted the task head-on and drove the Indian team home ultimately counted the most.

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However, questions regarding his accuracy and propensity to bowl haphazardly still exist. In spite of this, he has the backing of influential figures in Indian cricket who recognize his potential. One such person is former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, who used Twitter to compliment Umran and offered some guidance to the youngster.

Here’s what he tweeted:

Manjrekar described Umran as having a "unique talent" and said that all he needed to do in practice was bowl a million balls at one stump. Umran showed he had the speed to outpace most batters throughout the IPL and even in his maiden international series against Ireland. He also showed flashes of becoming a devastating force.

The former cricketer recognizes this and believes that as Umran gets older and more experienced, improving his ability to consistently hit his areas on the pitch would only help him become a better bowler.

Others argue that speed is meaningless without accuracy to back it up. In a sense, Manjrekar concurs, but he cautions Umran to never doubt his innate talent. 

Umran's ability to consistently bowl at 150 km/h is something that very few bowlers can achieve in the international arena, most of whom are very successful in limited-overs cricket, such as Jofra Archer and Anrich Nortje. 

The cricketer-turned commentator believes that the Jammu and Kasmir cricketer still has time to improve and correct his mistakes, which would all contribute to quelling his detractors.

Following the Ireland tour, Team India will play the rescheduled Test against England at Edgbaston. Following that, there will be a limited-overs series. 

(HT INPUTS)