IND vs SA: It Was My Dream To Play For The Country - Umran Malik Thrilled After Maiden National Call-up

Jammu and Kashmir quick bowler Umran Malik was joyous beyond words after he was called up to play for India in the impending five-match T20I series against South Africa. A year prior, Malik was somebody who had next to no experience of playing for his domestic side, let alone playing at the IPL level. 

Yet, after he was roped in as a swap for T Natarajan in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), his fortunes have turned to improve things. In the 2022 release of the IPL, Malik was the main wicket-taker for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), having gotten 22 wickets from 14 matches.

Feeling Excited As I Joined Team India And Practiced With Everyone: Umran Malik

“Thanks to god, I got an India call-up as it was my dream to play for the country,” Umran was quoted as saying in a video, uploaded on BCCI’s official Twitter handle. 

Umran as of late gone to India’s training session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi prior to confronting the Proteas. The young lad was cheerful in the wake of having connections with head coach Rahul Dravid and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey. 

“I was very excited as I joined Team India and practiced with everyone. I was positive that I would be able to bowl well, I was confident,” he said.  

“The team environment is healthy as everyone is like brothers after we played together in the IPL.” 

“I was delighted to interact with a legend as big as Rahul Sir. He advised me to stick to my strategies. Paras Sir was also guiding me on how to bowl and it gave me a lot of confidence because if a coach talks to you, it’s for your improvement,” Umran said. 

Umran additionally referenced how he used to follow the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah. 

“When I used to play with the tennis ball, I used to watch Bhuvi Bhai, Shami Bhai aur Bumrah bowling yorkers,” he added. 

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