‘First Abdul Samad and now Umran Malik’ – Twitterverse hail ‘mentor’ Irfan Pathan as Jammu & Kashmir speedster impresses on IPL debut

Although Sunriers Hyderabad continued their lean patch against Kolkata Knight Riders, Umran Malik impressed one and all. Making his debut in the game, the right-arm pacer bowled with hostility and left the cricket world stunned. He frequently touched the 150 kmph mark as KKR batters found him hard to tackle. Many of his deliveries went past the outside edge of the bat and social media went in a frenzy.

After all, you won’t find many Indian fast bowlers bowling at such an express pace. Interestingly, Malik wasn’t a part of SRH’s initial squad. He was only roped in as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for T Natarajan, who had tested positive ahead of Hyderabad’s encounter against Delhi Capitals on September 22.  With the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, and Siddarth Kaul in the ranks, Umran couldn’t make it to the playing XI straightaway.

However, as SRH got knocked out of the playoffs, the team management decided to give the youngsters a go and Umran Malik burst onto the scenes. Although the speedster couldn’t scalp any wickets on his IPL debut, he conceded mere 27 runs in his quota of four overs. Twitterverse also went berserk with the 21-year-old’s spectacular show.

Alongside him, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was also praised for nurturing the young talent. For the unversed, Pathan spent the last few years of his professional career with the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team. He was the player and mentor of the team and several players have credited him for the improvement and development of the J & K team.

The tree still giving fruits: Irfan Pathan after Umran Malik’s call-up

Umran Malik was also groomed by Pathan during his tenure with the Kashmir-based side. Pathan even congratulated the pacer last month for making it to the SRH side. “Congratulations J&k for yet another selection in the IPL. “The tree still giving fruits. Keep it going #umranmalik,” Pathan had written on his official Twitter account.

While Umran was an unknown prodigy at that time, he breathed fire on his IPL debut and fans got to know what Irfan meant. It has to be noted that SRH’s power hitter Abdul Samad, who also hails from Kasmir, was also Pathan’s find.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how fans hailed Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan should work with any IPL team from next year, first Abdul Samad and now, Umran Malik.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 3, 2021

Irfan Pathan can be a great talent scout. First Samad and now Malik 😳

— ᴍᴏʜɪᴛ𝟒𝟓 (@MohitRohitian) October 3, 2021

Abdul Samad and Umran Malik both were mentored by Irfan Pathan. Time to involve Pathan in Indian coaching setup.

— pushkar (@bondwarrior) October 3, 2021

Plugging this again!
Irfan Pathan sir replied to this

Same reaction after seeing Umran Malik @IrfanPathan
Only question is when are you becoming the coach or scout for a franchise Sir??@StarSportsIndia #AskStar#IPL #IPL2021 #SRH #SRHvKKR #KKR https://t.co/iMmVP93d4g

— Siddhant (@CricSidd) October 3, 2021

Well done Irfan Pathan for inspiring cricketers to dream big in Jammu&Kashmir. Your 2 years of hard work as captain and mentor of J&K has given us Abdul Samad and now Imran Malik. More to come.#KKRvSRH #KKR #IPL2021 #Cricket #CricketTwitter @CricCrazyJohns @IrfanPathan

— Abhigya Singh (@AbhigyaSingh11) October 3, 2021

Can see so much of happiness in Irfan Pathan's face while he's speaking about Umran Malik in dugout.

— Billgates Billu (@BillgatesBillu) October 3, 2021

Said this time and again. IPL franchisee should have @IrfanPathan sir in their talent scout team. Has played a pivatol role in bringing many J&K players to IPL. It's time to take his talent of scounting new talent seriously. 💥

Thanks Irfan sir and well done Umran Malik. 💯

— Rohini Mishra (@Roh_hra) October 3, 2021

Future of Indian Cricket. 21-year-old Umran Malik from #Kashmir is impressive with his first-ever over in #IPL 🔥

He is first Indian Bowler to bowl 150 kmph in this IPL.#SRHvKKR pic.twitter.com/FYV61Wy5ij

— Asim Khan 🇮🇳 (@AsimKhanTweets) October 3, 2021

#SRHvsKKR fastest Balls in #IPL2021
1)Lockie Ferguson – 152.75 km/h
2)Lockie Ferguson – 152.74
3)Anrich Nortje – 151.71
4)Anrich Nortje – 151.37
5)Lockie Ferguson – 151.33
6)Lockie Ferguson – 151.20
7)Umran Malik – 151.03
8)Anrich Nortje – 150.83#UmranMalik #IPL#fastestball pic.twitter.com/mChcJMcdhk

— HARSHBARDHAN SINGH (@3_harsh_1) October 3, 2021