India National Cricket Team all-format captain Rohit Sharma has said that the “exciting prospect” Jammu and Kashmir express pacer Umran Malik is in India’s scheme of things for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Umran Malik, who won the Emerging Player of the Season Award in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, made his T20I debut in the two-match T20I series against Ireland National Cricket Team. He was given only one over in the first game of the series by stand-in captain Hardik Pandya and in the second game, he only managed to bag 1 wicket.
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At a press conference ahead of the first T20I against England, Rohit Sharma talked about Umran Malik, who has been picked in the squad for all three T20Is against England. Rohit said:
“He is very much in our plans, it is just trying to give him that understanding as to what the team requires from him as well. Yes, there will be times where we want to try out a few guys and Umran is definitely one of those guys, keeping one eye on the World Cup, we want to see what he has to offer for us.
“He is definitely an exciting prospect, there is no doubt about it. We all saw during the IPL, he can bowl fast. It is about giving him that role, whether we want to give him the new ball or we want to use him at the backend, when you play for franchises, the role is different as compared to when you play for the national team. It is just about understanding how you can fit in those individuals and give them clarity.”
England is going to be a very challenging team for us – Rohit Sharma
India captain Rohit Sharma further said that they will keep an eye on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which will be played in Australia, and the focus will also remain on every series India play before the World Cup. He said:
“Of course, keeping one eye on the World Cup. I would not say it is preparation, every game for India matters to us. So we want to come here and tick every box and make sure that we get the job done. As much as we want to keep one eye on the World Cup, we want to make sure we are getting the job done here as well.”
He added that England will be a tough opponent for the Indian team in the upcoming 6-match limited-overs series.
“Yes, there are younger players who are getting opportunities to represent the country. Coming off through the performances for state teams, IPL, they deserve their opportunity. England is going to be a very challenging team for us. We will look forward to the T20I series and then the ODI series against England as well,” he added.
The first match of the three-match T20I series between Rohit Sharma-led India National Cricket Team and Jos Buttler-led England National Cricket Team will be played at The Rose Bowl, Southampton on July 7.
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