IND vs SL: "Umran Malik May Not Have T20 Cricket As His Best Format" - Wasim Jaffer Says Ahead Of First T20I Against Sri Lanka

India will face Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3. Pace bowling sensation Umran Malik has been included in the limited-overs squad. Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes that the Jammu and Kashmir pacer might not be the best in the T20 format.

Umran Malik made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and had a breakthrough in the next season. The right-arm pacer was fast-tracked into the Indian T20I setup and hasn’t started on a high note. He represented India in three games, taking two wickets at an economy rate of 12.44.

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Harshal Patel Gives Experience And Depth In Batting – Wasim Jaffer

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo ahead of the India-Sri Lanka T20I series, Wasim Jaffer expects Harshal Patel to return to the Indian team. Jaffer said he was “tempted” to include Malik as he bowls 145-150 clicks, but chose Patel as he offers experience and batting depth.

“I hope Harshal Patel finds a way to make a comeback. Umran Malik may not have T20 cricket as his best format, but nonetheless, he is an exciting talent and this is an exciting season before the IPL,” Jaffer said ahead of the first T20I match.

“I was tempted to include Umran Malik in my XI because you would like to have a pacer who bowls at 145-150 clicks. But Harshal Patel gives you that experience and also gives the depth in batting. You also have Hardik as your this seamer and then have 3-4 all-rounders that give you better balance,” he added.

Yuzvendra Chahal Is Crucial For India In The Middle-Overs – Wasim Jaffer

The Wankhede Stadium is one of the highest-scoring venues in India due to its smaller dimensions. Wasim Jaffer believes that Yuzvendra Chahal’s performance on such pitches is crucial because he has the ability to provide breakthroughs in middle overs.

“Yuzvendra Chahal is crucial for India in the middle-overs as he has the ability to give crucial breakthroughs. Whenever left-handers bat, captains are reluctant to give the ball to a left-arm spinner and similar is the case with off-spinner when right-hander bats. Wankhede’s dimensions are also pretty small and so it is crucial to have a wrist spinner like Chahal.”

India Squad For Sri Lanka T20Is

Hardik Pandya (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.

Also read: IND vs SL: “Kuldeep Yadav Will Be India’s Frontline Spinner Going Ahead” – Sanjay Bangar On India Squad For ODI World Cup 2023

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah