"Important to groom him by giving him the chance to rub shoulders with senior members of the team" - Virat Kohli's childhood coach on Umran Malik

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes India made the right decision by naming Umran Malik as the injured Mohammed Shami's replacement for the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Speaking to India News Sports, Sharma mentioned that Umran will become a better bowler by playing more matches under the guidance of senior players.

He also highlighted that the speedster will be able to learn a lot about his game by bowling on Bangladeshi pitches, which provide minimal support to seamers. Sharma explained:

"Umran Malik is the only fast bowler India have who can bowl at 150 kph. It is very important to groom him by giving him the chance to rub shoulders with senior members of the team.

"Senior players will guide him during the game. It will be a great learning experience for Umran, given that it won't be easy for a fast bowler on these wickets."

Umran was a part of the Men in Blue's squad for the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. The right-arm pacer did impress many with his fiery spells. He proved to be the most successful Indian bowler in the 50-over leg of the tour, bagging three wickets from as many outings.

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"Umran Malik could become a mainstay in the Indian team" - Saba Karim on the young fast bowler

During the discussion, former Indian keeper-batter Saba Karim emphasized that Umran has the potential to cement his place in the ODI team by performing well against Bangladesh.

He opined that the 23-year-old did a fine job in New Zealand, and will be able to carve a niche for himself by coming up with similar performances in the forthcoming fixtures. Karim added:

"Umran Malik could become a mainstay in the Indian team if he continues to bowl the way he did in New Zealand. You need pacers who have express pace, and we have very few options to choose from as a lot of our speedsters are currently injured."

Notably, Umran was not originally a part of India's ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour. The talented youngster was added to the side after Shami was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

The Rohit Sharma-led side will battle it out against the hosts in the opening encounter of the ODI series at the Shere-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday, December 4.