I hope Umran Malik gets India cap soon: Nikhil Chopra

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured their fourth consecutive win of the tournament against Punjab Kings (PBKS), after facing losses in the first two league matches of IPL 2022. They dismissed the opposition for a score of 151 and chased down the total by following the same template as of their previous matches. The former Indian cricketer and one of the commentators in the tournament, Nikhil Chopra discussed the win of SRH and provided his insight on Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of their fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well.

Chopra reckoned that Umran Malik delivered a terrific performance (4/28 off four overs) today. He felt that it is a rare occasion where the bowler bowls a maiden and also takes heaps of wickets in the last over of the innings. The PBKS team lost a total of four wickets in the last over, with Umran picking three, and the other one ending up as a run-out dismissal.

Chopra hopes that Umran gets a national call-up with this performance, like spinner Varun Chakaravarthy who made it to the India squad after finishing with figures of 5/20 in IPL 2020.

“I think it was unbelievable today. If you see the stats, Umran has bowled the most 145+ kmph balls in this tournament, in the list comprising players like Bumrah, Ferguson, and Shami. It’s a rare quality to get four wickets and deliver a maiden as well. Like Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets in the past and got the India cap, I hope he gets the India cap with this performance, and he is needed in the T20 World Cup later this year due to his fire,” said Nikhil Chopra on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket Show’ on CricTracker.

Vijay Shankar needs to grab this opportunity: Nikhil Chopra

In the ongoing Match 29 of the tournament, the Titans are missing their captain and key performer Hardik Pandya, and have brought Wriddhiman Saha as his replacement. Chopra reckoned that the onus will be on opener Shubman Gill to score runs, as Saha is playing his first match of the season, and Vijay Shankar is not in good touch. He further urged Shankar to grab this opportunity, or someone else will take his place in the upcoming matches. In three appearances, Shankar has contributed only 19 runs.

“With the absence of Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill will have to control the innings for the team. Saha is playing his first match, while Shankar is not scoring runs. I hope the worst is past for Shankar and the best is to come for him and should grab this chances with both his hands, otherwise there are players who are ready to take his place,” Chopra added.