A thunderbolt struck during the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Mumbai as Umran Malik, India’s new pace sensation, sent the speed gun into a tizzy. After hovering in the high 140s throughout his spell, he bowled a 155 kph delivery that took out Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka. It wasn’t a yorker or targeted at the batsman’s ribs, but was hit straight to Yuzvendra Chahal at extra cover.
The 23-year-old Malik, a fruit-seller’s son from Gujjar Nagar, a modest locality in Jammu, is known for instilling fear among batsmen and his stint with former South Africa legend Dale Steyn at Sunrisers Hyderabad has fuelled his passion to bowl quick even more.
After the last IPL season, when he was in Jammu, Malik shared an interesting anecdote with Raman Thaploo – a J&K cricketer who has watched his journey from up close – about what Steyn told him after Sunrisers’ last match.
“Steyn told Umran, ‘You are born to ride a Ferrari, never switch to a Fiat,’” Thaploo recalls the conversation.
“The advice from Tom Moody and Muttiah Muralitharan, both on the Sunrisers coaching staff, was to never compromise on his pace because it is his weapon with which he can terrorise batsmen.”
Malik has taken the advice to heart and in his nascent international career has added another dimension to the Indian pace attack.
Jammu and Kashmir fielding coach, Tanmay Srivastava, a former India Under-19 cricketer and veteran of 90 first-class matches, recalls being stunned when he saw the wicketkeeper’s gloves tremble every time he collected Malik’s deliveries.
“We were playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Mohali and it was the first time I saw a wicketkeeper and slips standing that far. We were sitting in the dressing room and could clearly hear the sound of the ball hitting the palms of the wicketkeeper’s gloves. I have never seen anything like it in my career,” Srivastava told The Indian Express from Surat, where J&K were playing a Ranji Trophy game against Railways.
Srivastava also opined how Malik, a wiry lad with a swimmer’s physique, is able to generate so much pace. “He is a natural talent. His run-up is from where he generates that pace. It is very smooth, his strides are like that of a sprinter and that gives him momentum. This is what I figured out after watching him from close quarters.”
By the end of his spell of 4-0-27-2 on Tuesday, Malik had Wankhede Stadium on its feet, the ovation accompanied by chants of “Umran, Umran” and “Malik, Malik.”
His love affair with the venue started during the IPL when he bagged a five-wicket haul against eventual IPL champions Gujarat Titans. The Wankhede crowd was cheering every delivery from Malik. There were oohs and aahs throughout the 24-ball quota.
Malik’s longtime friend Vivrant Sharma, a teammate in the J&K team and now at SRH, says claps, whistles and cheers make the speedster more dangerous.
“Even in the nets if people start cheering for him, it gives him an adrenaline rush. He will start bowling quicker,” shares Vivrant, who was picked up by the franchise at the recent IPL mini-auction for Rs 2.6 crore.
160 in nets
“Uska hai ki maar hi dena hai batsman ko aur net pe to no-ball ka koi concept hai nahi. To 22 yard 18 yard ho jata hai aur agar 4 logo ne ‘waah Umran, waah’ kar diya fir aapko bhagwan hi bacha sakte hai (He just wants to go hard at the batsman and in the nets, you don’t have the concept of no-balls. So 22 yards are reduced to 18, and if a few people start chanting his name, then only god can save you),” laughs Vivrant.
He also talks about how facing Malik has improved his own batting. “Nets pe to Umran 160 (kmph) dalta hai. Usko face karne ke baad 135 waale haluwa lagte hai (He bowls at 160 in the nets and after facing him, it is very easy to face bowlers with the speed of 135).”
Despite bowling at 155 kph in the first T20I, Malik is not losing sleep over testing the speed-gun, says his coach Randhir Manhas.
“He is a rhythm bowler and someday he might bowl 160 but that will be one ball. His main aim is to bowl all six deliveries in the high 140s,” Manhas elaborates.
Malik played only one Ranji Trophy match for J&K this season before returning to Jammu as he has been told to focus on limited-overs cricket, according to his coach.
“He has been told to focus on white-ball cricket. The only Test series India will play (for a while) is against Australia and the team management is in no hurry to rush him into the red-ball set-up,” says Manhas.
Manhas also pointed out a few changes Malik has made after the Bangladesh tour.
“He never used to bowl back-of-the-hand slower ones. This time I saw him working on his variations. He was working on his yorkers and slower bouncers. It was a pleasant surprise for me.”
Malik’s rise in the game has been meteoric; just five years ago, he was yet to play cricket with a leather ball, and there’s still a long way to go.
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