Umran Malik has been in the form of his life as he belted out a knock-out over that would bring down Punjab Kings to its knees and conjure a storm so massive that it would ring through the entire fabric of the cricketing world.
He was bang on his money as one would put it while the experts from different corners of the globe came together to praise his efforts. The latest addition to this list of accolades came from the Master Blaster of Indian cricket, Sunil Gavaskar.
Gavaskar believes that Umran Malik will shortly be a part of the national cricket team and he can be an absolute asset only if he finds a proper mentor to channel him in the right direction. Gavaskar has always been appreciative of young talent and his accolades for a young Umran is simply a factor that would prove that Umran Malik is headed in the right direction.
This is what Sunil Gavaskar and Dale Steyn had to say about Umran Malik
Gavaskar was heard quoting live on Star Sports, “Umran Malik has been very, very impressive with his speed but more than his speed, it’s his accuracy (that’s impressed). A lot of guys who bowl at that speed tend to spray the ball around but Umran bowls very few wide deliveries.”
He further added, “If he can control the wides down the leg side, he will be a tremendous bowler because that will mean he’ll be attacking the stumps all the time, and with his pace, it’s not easy to hit straight. If he bowls wicket-to-wicket, he’s going to be pretty much an unplayable bowler. He’s going to play for India.”
Sunrisers fast bowling preceptor, Dale Steyn was extremely happy when he saw Umran Malik reaping dividends beyond expectations. There were happy scenes in the dugout where he was absolutely elated alongside Muralitharan to witness the youngster fire home after a lean patch in the initial few games.
In fact, Steyn chipped with his piece of mind on Star Sports too as he quoted, “My job with Umran is to ensure he runs fast and make players play differently. My job is to try and make him forward-thinking as to what the batters are planning on doing. It’s exciting for us to sit back and watch what a genius he is. I don’t want to turn him into what I was, all I want is his geniuses to come out.”
The Sunrisers managed to bag their fourth consecutive win of the season which has taken them to the fourth position on the points table and will be eager to keep their momentum as they take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.