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India skipper Rohit Sharma has fully recovered from COVID-19 and interacted with the press in Southampton on Wednesday. While he stated that it was hard to watch Team India lose the fifth and final Test against England at Edgbaston, he was now focusing on the limited-overs leg of the tour. India are set to face the Three Lions in three ODIs and T20Is each beginning on Thursday. Rohit Sharma mentioned that the Indian team management was still figuring out the best possible eleven, especially in the shortest format of the game. However, the 35-year-old superstar revealed that young pace sensation Umran Malik was very much in their plans and would be given ample opportunities in the next few months to prove his worth in white-ball cricket.
Umran Malik made his India debut last month against Ireland after impressing everyone with his raw pace in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 22-year-old was impressive with the ball for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), picking up 22 wickets at a remarkable average of 20.18 in 14 matches. Umran Malik’s ability to consistently hit 150 kph and take wickets at regular intervals earned him rave reviews from former cricketers, including legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Glenn McGrath, and Brett Lee.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar even went on to compare Umran Malik's talent with batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
“The last time I got really excited at seeing an Indian player was Sachin Tendulkar. And after that I am excited to see Umran Malik. I do believe he should play, but again they might say that let us win the third one and get ourselves in a situation and then may be they can think about experimenting,” he said on Star Sports.
“I would look at bringing Umran Malik into the team. If you have the extra pace, yes because of the extra pace, you can go for runs because the ball will speed off the bat that much quicker. But he has got the capability of getting wickets. Wickets are the best dot-balls, especially in the white-ball format. Not too many other changes, because you don’t want to upset the balance of the team,” Sunil Gavaskar asserted.
Subsequently, he earned his maiden national call-up for the T20I series against South Africa at home but wasn't able to break through in the playing XI.
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Umran Malik finally got his chance in the two T20Is against Ireland under Hardik Pandya's captaincy. While he went for plenty of runs in both games, his ability to soak up the pressure and defend 12 runs in the last match of the series to lead India to a thrilling win was lauded by former Indian cricketers.
“He is very much in our plans. We are trying to give him an understanding as to what the team requires from him as well. Yes, there will be times when we want to try out a few guys and Umran is definitely one of those guys, Rohit Sharma in a media briefing in Southampton.
“Keeping one eye on the World Cup, we want to see what he has to offer for us. He is definitely an exciting prospect. During the IPL, we saw that he could bowl fast. It’s about giving him the role, whether we want him to bowl with the new ball or want to use him in the middle overs,” he stated.
Rohit Sharma also spoke about his recovery from COVID-19.
“The recovery has been good. It's been 8-9 days since I got Covid. We have seen over the last few years that each player has responded to the Covid virus differently. I don't know what will happen in the future but at the moment, everything is fine with me,” the Nagpur-born cricket star added.
“I began training 3 days ago. That's why I thought of taking part in this game (first T20I). Body-wise, I am feeling better. I don't have any symptoms now. I have done 2-3 tests, and all of them have returned negative. I am just looking forward to the game. It's going to be an exciting one,” Rohit Sharma pointed out.
“It's always good to be back, playing for your country. You don't want to miss any games for your country but certain things are not in your control. Yes, now that I am back, I am excited, and looking forward,” he elaborated.
“It was hard to watch from the sidelines. It’s never an easy situation when you miss games, especially an important game like that when the series was on the line for us. Speaking of symptoms, I struggled a little bit for a couple of days, but I am happy that I am standing back on my feet, nice and healthy as I look forward to the T20I series followed by the ODI series,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
