An ex-India bowling coach explains how India’s 157-kmph star lost his way
The former bowling coach of Team India has pointed out what led to the dip in the form of Umran Malik. The right-arm fast bowler, who could easily click over 145 kmph, is a rare commodity with raw pace, but Mhambrey opines that what went against the bowler is the fact that he has struggled with his line and length of late.
Mhambrey said, “I think one has to build talent. Someone who has an express pace is a rare commodity, and you see potential in him. When he burst onto the scene bowling 145–148 kmph (I’m not someone who gets carried away with the speed gun showing 160 kmph because I don’t think it is real), you realized pace was his strength. He was definitely quick and was hitting the high 140 kmphs regularly. To bowl consistently at that pace is good, and he has done that. But how does he do that?”
Following his sensational performance in IPL 2022, Umram also earned India caps in ODI and T20I formats. The pacer, however, failed to live up to expectations, especially in T20I cricket. His poor performance in the following two IPL editions only added to his troubles.
The former coach further said, “In T20s, if you are not in control, you will struggle. If you fail to maintain control, you risk losing the captain's trust. So one has to gain control, and that will happen only if he plays the Ranji Trophy. That is why we are pushing him to play Ranji Trophy because when he goes through a season, even under pressure, he will be able to execute his skillset.”