Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey talked about the downfall of young Indian pacer Umran Malik. He said that he didn’t have control over his bowling and ended up losing the faith of the captain.
The downfall of Umran Malik is one of the most disappointing stories in Indian cricket. The fast bowler hogged the headlines with his express pace when he broke into the scene, troubling big names with his pace in the Indian Premier League.
Umran Malik was rated among the most exciting players in Indian cricket. His ability to consistently click 150 kmph grabbed the eyeball of many and his performance in the two IPL seasons even made him earn his India cap in the T20I and ODIs.
Umran Malik started pretty well for India but after that, he couldn’t carry on his good performances. He struggled with his line and length both for the India team as well as in the IPL. He was taken for a lot of runs and then got dropped both from the Indian team as well his IPL team.
While talking about the career of Umran Malik, Paras Mhambrey stated that players like him had to be built. He stressed that pace is not everything as one needs to have control on his bowling. Speaking to Indian Express, he explained:
“I think one has to build talent. Someone having express pace is a rare commodity and you see potential in him. When he burst onto the scene bowling 145-148 (kmph) — I’m not someone who gets carried away with the speed gun showing 160kpmh because I don’t think it is real – you realise pace was his strength.
“He was definitely quick and was hitting the high 140kmphs regularly. To bowl consistently at that pace is good and he has done that. But how does he do that? In T20s, if you are not having control, you will struggle. Once you do that, you will lose the faith of the captain.”
So one has to gain control and that will happen only if he plays Ranji Trophy – Paras Mhambrey on Umran Malik
Paras Mhambrey stated that Umran Malik needs to go back to Ranji Trophy which will help him to get the control back. He said that playing in the tournament will help him to execute his skillset even in pressure situations. He stated:
“So one has to gain control and that will happen only if he plays Ranji Trophy. That is why we are pushing him to play Ranji Trophy because when he goes through a season, even under pressure, he will be able to execute his skillset.”
It remains to be seen what will be the future of Umran Malik in international cricket. With the current lot of fast bowlers being there, it is unlikely that he will be back there in the Indian team. The fast bowler isn’t getting opportunities in the Indian Premier League as well and would now be keen to make an impact in the domestic circuit.