“You can’t pick him when he becomes a 130 kmph bowler” – Dilip Vengsarkar on Umran Malik’s absence from India’s T20 World Cup squad

Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar is surprised by Umran Malik’s absence from India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. He felt it was the right time to pick the Kashmir-based speedster for his express pace.

Malik first achieved recognition for his sheer pace in IPL 2021. He then finished with 22 wickets in 14 matches for SRH in IPL 2022.

The right-arm pacer was rewarded with a national call-up and made his debut against Ireland in June this year.

However, he failed to deliver in his limited opportunities with the Men in Blue. The 22-year-old picked up only two wickets in three T20Is, including 1/56 against England.

Speaking to Sportstar, Vengsarkar said:

“There is no out-of-the-box thinking. I would have picked Umran Malik because of his speed. He is a guy who is bowling 150kmph; you’ve got to pick him now, you can’t pick him when he becomes a 130kmph bowler.”

Vengsarkar also pointed out that Malik could have been used in the recently concluded Asia Cup, in which Indian pacers failed to deliver in Super 4 matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He said:

“In Dubai, where the wicket was flat and grassless, where there was no bounce, you needed fast bowlers. If you had medium pacers, you would be tonked around. You needed fast bowlers who could beat the batters in pace.”

Malik was part of the India A squad in the recently concluded one-day series against New Zealand A. He finished with figures of 0/27 and 1/35 in the first two matches.

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Vengsarkar feels these three cricketers also deserved a chance in T20 World Cup

Mohammed Shami and Shreyas Iyer have been named on the standby list for the T20 World Cup, while Shubman Gill failed to find a place.

Vengsarkar also picked three other players that he felt deserved a chance in the India squad for the T20 World Cup. He believes Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami should have been included in the main squad, rather than being the reserves.

It is worth mentioning that Iyer has been named as a replacement for injured all-rounder Deepak Hooda in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.

The right-handed batter was a part of India’s tour of the West Indies, where he scored 98 runs in four T20Is, including a 40-ball 64 in the final game. He amassed 161 runs in three appearances, including a couple of half-centuries in the ODI leg of the series.

Meanwhile, Shami has finally tested negative for COVID-19. However, he is yet to recover fully and hence couldn’t participate in the three-match T20I series against the Proteas.

The senior pacer has not played in the shortest format for India since the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. In IPL 2022, the 32-year-old scalped 20 wickets in 16 matches for champions Gujarat Titans.

Vengsarkar reserved special praise for Shubman Gill, who emerged as India’s highest run-scorer in the recently concluded series against West Indies and Zimbabwe. The right-handed batter has amassed 450 runs in his last six ODIs, including a century and three fifties.

“Shreyas Iyer is in good form and he missed out. Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill should also be on the team. I am impressed with Gill.”

Gill will likely be in action during the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. The first game will be held in Lucknow on Thursday (October 6).

India squad for the ICC T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh.

Reserve players - Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Chahar.