IPL 2021: "Umran Malik has the unique ability to bowl 150+, hope he is taken care of"

Former Indian cricketer and cricket expert Deep Dasgupta was impressed with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) speedster Umran Malik. The 21-year-old made his debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders and bowled a delivery above 150 kmph, making him the fastest Indian bowler in IPL 2021.

Although Malik gave away 27 runs in his four overs and went wicketless, Deep Dasgupta feels he is a special talent. According to Dasgupta, very few bowlers possess the ability to bowl above 150 kmph and Malik is one of them.

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Dasgupta is hopeful that the talented youngster will develop even further through the IPL and also through some grooming by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, here is what Dasgupta had to say:

"The moment Umran Malik bowled the first over, I was excited to see him bowl another one. This is because he is an exciting talent with world cricket in mind. Very few bowlers have the ability to bowl fast. He has a unique ability and I hope SRH or the NCA academy preserve him properly."

Wasn't surprised by SRH's decision to bat first: Deep Dasgupta

Many were surprised to see SRH bat first against KKR. This was because there was some grass on the surface which could have aided the bowlers and also dew could have played a part later in the game, making batting easier.

However, Deep Dasgupta understood why Kane Williamson opted to bat first, as SRH have always preferred defending scores. They have a lot of experience in their bowling and that could be one of the reasons why they opted to bat first.

Additionally, SRH's middle-order is inexperienced and haven't quite been among the runs. This is one more reason why Dasgupta feels SRH batted first as it would put the middle-order under less pressure.

"I wasn't surprised by SRH's decision to bat first because if you see from the past few years, they prefer to defend. Their strength is their bowling where there is a lot of seniority with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar present. In the batting, the middle-order hasn't been able to prove its mettle. So even that could be a reason for them batting first," Dasgupta concluded.