Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has rated Umran Malik as a rare talent and he wants the gun fast bowler to practice bowling a million balls at one stump in the net sessions. Malik made his T20I debut against Ireland in the first game but he conceded 14 runs in the solitary over he bowled.

However, Malik got the opportunity to complete his quota of four overs in the second T20I against the Irish team. The 22-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir had to defend 17 runs in the final over but he was able to keep his nerves in the end.

In fact, eight runs were needed off the final three balls but Malik came up with the goods. Thus, he must have really grown in confidence after delivering in the crunch situation of the game.

“What a rare talent Umran Mallik is! All he needs to do in practice is bowl a million balls aimed at one stump,” Manjrekar tweeted.

“Accuracy & other skills will come in time. But NEVER should it come at the cost of pace,” Manjrekar added.

Meanwhile, Malik had received his maiden call-up into the Indian squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa after his impressive show in the IPL. Malik had scalped 22 wickets in 14 matches of Tata IPL 2022 while playing SunRisers Hyderabad as he bowled at an average of 20.18 and an economy of 9.01 but didn’t get a chance to debut against the Proteas.

More importantly, Malik has impressed with his raw pace. The fast bowler is consistently bowling above 145 km/h and he has the skills to breathe down the neck of the opposition batters with his express pace. However, there is no doubt that Malik still has a lot to improve and he needs to work on his line and length.

Malik is expected to get better with experience and he will look to deliver the goods for the team. The fast bowler has definitely made a mark and he will aim to keep improving his game.