IPL 2022: When Rashid Khan asked Umran Malik to bowl slower to him

Umran Malik in action during SRH vs GT match. (IPL)

The speed and performances that he put up last year, were enough for Sunrisers to sign along the dotted lines and retain him for a Rs 4 crore contract. He has rewarded the faith of his team’s management this season by picking up nine wickets in six matches.

The coming-out-of-nowhere moniker that attaches itself to Malik with ease is justified. For three years from 2015, Malik would only know cricket that was played with a tennis ball. His family’s support was crucial at this period. “They never stopped me from playing. I used to come home at 1:00 at night after playing tennis ball cricket but they never said anything and always supported me and said just play and never get yourself involved in nefarious things”.

It was as recent as 2018 that he started to ply his trade using leather balls – a change that was rewarded almost immediately.

Malik spoke to the Indian Express before this IPL season on how his life changed after the leather ball switch in 2018 and said, “In 2018, I started playing leather ball cricket and gave my first trial in U-19. There, I passed the trials and got selected for the U-19 team. Then I started playing one-day cricket in U-19 and in the next year, I played one match in U-23. After that, I played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.” In the 8 T20Is he has played, he has scalped 11 wickets so far.

Now a part of the IPL ecosystem, the 22-year-old is getting recognized for his raw pace. From Rashid Khan chiding him by saying, “Bhai thoda slow dala karo mujhe” (Brother, please bowl a little slower at me) to Virat Kohli admiring the emergence of yet another pace bowler, Malik is starting to make an impact.

“This tournament throws up talent every year, good to see a guy bowling at 150 clicks. It is important to understand the progress of individuals from hereon,” Kohli said in a post-match conference last year after Malik bowled a ball that went to 152.95 kmph. He also added, “The pool of fast bowlers being strong is always a good sign for Indian cricket and whenever you see talent like this, you are going to have your eyes on them and make sure you maximize their potential which is already being seen at the IPL level”.

After getting recognition in the IPL, things started panning out in a sleek manner for Umran as he was picked up as a net bowler in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. This meant a further chance to bowl at the Kohli’s and Sharma’s.

“It felt very good to meet all the players in the dressing room and since I was meeting them for the first time, it was a great experience. I was there with such big players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma so I felt very proud at that time and since I used to play tennis ball cricket in my earlier days, meeting them was a great feeling for me and I felt very proud of myself”, said Malik.

Malik’s potential is already getting him fast-tracked. He has yet to bowl a ball in the Ranji trophy but already has an India A tour to South Africa under his belt. “It was my first tour and I got so much experience like what I needed to do to improve myself. I learned a lot on that tour”, he said.

After Ranji Trophy got postponed because of COVID, BCCI has announced fresh fixtures and the tournament will be starting from February 17. Umran Malik, after becoming an IPL sensation, is actually looking forward to exploiting the red-ball format also. He said, “My aim is to play all the three formats of the game and I am pretty sure that I will be able to make a mark in the upcoming Ranji season”.