"Umran Malik is a fantastic addition to the Indian team" - Kamran Akmal

Pakistan's veteran wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal believes that the inclusion of Umran Malik has further strengthened Team India's bowling unit.

Akmal lauded the Indian team management for handing consistent opportunities to the tearaway speedster. He opined that the Men in Blue will have a formidable pace bowling attack by next year's 50-over World Cup.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:

"Umran Malik is a fantastic addition to the Indian team. It's good to see that they are grooming him and giving him more and more opportunities. India are known to have a weak bowling unit.

"However, things will be different when the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar return. They have so many options to choose from. For India, bowling will surely not be an excuse at the 2023 World Cup."

Umran, who replaced the injured Mohammad Shami in the squad for the ongoing Bangladesh ODI series, impressed many with bowling exploits in the second fixture.

The right-arm fast bowler picked up the important wickets of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudullah on Wednesday, December 7. While Umran proved to be expensive in the death overs, he gave the Bangladeshi batters a torrid time with his express pace in his first spell.

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"Completely outclassed India" - Kamran Akmal on Bangladesh's stunning ODI series victory over the Men in Blue

Akmal heaped praise on the Bangladesh team for their inspired performances against a strong Indian side. He pointed out that the hosts outclassed Rohit Sharma and Co. to pocket the three-match series by winning the first two fixtures.

The 40-year-old mentioned that the victory would mean a lot for Bangladesh, given how they have struggled to win big matches consistently of late. He added:

"Winning against India was of utmost importance for Bangladesh cricket. We have seen how they have struggled to win big matches lately. They performed underwhelmingly at the T20 World Cup and were also struggled during the tri-series against New Zealand and Pakistan. It never appeared that Bangladesh could beat India. However, they completely outclassed India."

Notably, the Litton Das-led side won the second ODI by five runs to complete a famous series win. India and Bangladesh will lock horns in the third and final fixture of their 50-over rubber on Saturday, December 10.