Umran Malik's future in his own hands; he'll be around for long if he stays fit: Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has lauded express pacer Umran Malik and emphasized the fact that if the speedster can stay fit, then he will be around for a long time. After performing well in the current Indian Premier League (IPL), Umran was recently named in the Indian squad to play a five-match T20I series against South Africa in June.

Talking about Umran’s performance in IPL 2022, the express pacer scalped a total of 22 wickets in just 14 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The pacer took the wickets at a strike rate of 13.40 but was a touch expensive, giving runs at an economy of 9.03. Talking about his overall numbers in the IPL, the right-arm pacer has played a total of 17 matches and scalped 24 wickets with his best figures being 5/25 against the new entrants Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2022.

I am sure he will be around for a long time: Sourav Ganguly

“His future is in his hands. If he stays fit and bowls at this pace, I’m sure he will be around for a long time,” the former Indian skipper was quoted by NDTV.

The BCCI president also lauded several other young talents in IPL 2022 and said, “Many have played well in this IPL. Tilak (Varma) has done well for Mumbai Indians. Rahul (Tripathi) for Sunrisers, Tewatia for Gujarat Titans. We have seen many emerging fast bowlers like Umran Malik, Mohsin Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan… It’s a place where talent gets exposure.”

As mentioned above, the Men in Blue will take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series, with the first match to be played in New Delhi on June 9, followed by encounters in Cuttack (June 12), Visakhapatnam (June 14), Rajkot (June 17), and the final match in Bengaluru on June 19.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul has been named as India’s captain and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be the vice-captain for the series. Some senior players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Virat Kohli have been rested for the T20I series.