IND vs SL 2023: Ajay Jadeja lavishes praises on Umran Malik after his heroics in T20Is

The Men in Blue defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in the recently concluded T20I series at home to kick off the new year in commanding fashion. The young team, captained by Hardik Pandya, put on a strong overall performance. Though they lost the second T20I match, there were many positives drawn throughout the three games.

It was a team full of fresh faces, and one player who impressed with the ball was Umran Malik. Though the speedster conceded runs, he gave India crucial breakthroughs throughout the three games. Clocking a 155kmph delivery in the second T20I, he broke the record for the fastest delivery by an Indian pacer.

He finished the T20I series as the highest wicket-taker, with seven wickets to his name from the three games, and former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja was all praises for the Jammu Kashmir youngster who is giving his best to make a permanent place for himself in the Indian side.

“The way he is bowling at the moment, running in, there isn’t a bowler in India that I have seen for a very long time. (Javagal) Srinath was the last one that I remember. This fellow has something special, so try and use him as he is. When the tail comes, you bring Umran Malik. 8/10 times he’ll get you three wickets there and finish the game”, he told Cricbuzz.

India shift focus on the ODI series

Some of the highlights were Shivam Mavi’s magnificent debut where he bagged four wickets, Axar Patel’s consistent performances with the bat and the ball which earned him the Player of the Series award, and Suryakumar Yadav’s masterclass from the third game, where he bagged his third T20I century and led India to a victory.

Hardik Pandya’s captaincy skills were put to a test again, and he completed the task brilliantly. India have not lost a single T20I series under his leadership. Team India will now face the Islanders in a three-match ODI series starting January 10 in Guwahati.

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