Umran Malik: India’s fastest bowler

Umran Malik is India’s fastest bowler who has broken several records after debuting for the Indian national cricket team in ODIs and T20 Internationals. The right-arm fast bowler has played 10 ODIs and 8 T20Is for the Men in Blue after making his debut against Ireland in 2022. He has a total of 24 wickets, out of which 13 are in One Day and 11 in the Twenty Overs format.

The Jammu boy is known for his speed, where he can bowl more than 150 km/h continually in one over and beat any batsman with his exhilarating speed and accuracy. He surprised everyone with his lethal pace in the Indian Premier League, where he bowled five consecutive deliveries in one over with a speed of more than 150 km/h against the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.

The Jammu-born cricketer represents Jammu and Kashmir in domestic cricket, where he has taken more than 25 wickets. There is no doubt! The 24-year-old lad has broken the chain of thought that people used to have about the J&K state—that it is hard for international players to emerge from there. He is the third player from the J&K state to represent the Indian team after Parvez Rasool and Mithun Manhas in ODIs and T20I Internationals.

Umran Malik's Early Life

Being the son of a fruit seller, Umran never stopped dreaming of playing for India. It’s the belief and manifestation that he carried for a long time on his shoulders to become India’s fastest bowler. The Jammu-born boy is proud of the Indian National team.

Umran’s family was very supportive throughout the journey of his cricketing career, from being a local boy of Jammu who won matches single-handedly through his speed to becoming the “Jammu Express" of the Indian national team.

“You’re going to be a big name in cricket if you just focus on hardball cricket. You will get adjusted to it if you take this game seriously,” said Randhir Singh Manhas.

A Meet with the Swing King of the Indian Team

India has produced many swing bowlers, from the legendary Kapil Dev to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But the bowler whom everyone remembers even now is Irfan Pathan, who is one of the best all-rounders India has ever produced. The legendary bowler could swing the ball in both directions and bat down the order with tailenders to win matches for the Indian national team.

Irfan Pathan was the person who recognized the talent of the young lad and supported and motivated him during the initial stages of his career.

“When I saw him bowling for the first time, he reminded me of Waqar Younis,” Irfan Pathan said in a Star Sports video on Umran Malik.

A journey from a net bowler to a global speed sensation

The Jammu-born boy was picked as a net bowler due to his exhilarating speed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2021 for the franchise “Sunrisers Hyderabad.” On the 3rd of October 2021, he got a chance to play in the IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders. After impressing everyone with his speed and bounce in the 2021 IPL, he was selected as a net bowler for the Indian national cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The hard work that Malik showed in the last three years paid off, as the speed gun made his debut in the List A format for India on 23rd November 2021, against South Africa.

International Cricket

One Day Internationals

Wearing the jersey of the Indian team is always a proud feeling for every cricketer, which takes years of hard work and sacrifice to reach that stage. The 23-year-old lad got this opportunity in November 2022 against the Kiwis, where he made his One-Day Internationals debut for the Indian team in limited-overs cricket. He dismissed the dangerous opener from the Kiwis' squad, Devon Conway, as his first wicket.

Overall, the speed gun has taken 13 wickets in 8 ODI Matches so far, with an average of 27.30.

T20 Internationals

It’s not wrong to say that the T20 format is as fast as the Indian speedster Umran Malik, where speed meets skill. No doubt! It’s the most exciting and entertaining format of cricket that is played around the world, and to get to perform on that international stage is truly a blessing for a guy.

The Jammu boy got this opportunity against Ireland in the year 2022 when he was picked up by the Indian team in the away series against Ireland.

Overall, Kashmir’s pacer has taken 11 wickets in 8 T20I Matches so far, with an average of 26.00.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

The Indian Premier League is the format that has given the Kashmir pacer a big platform to showcase his skill on the international stage. In the 2022 season of the IPL, he was on the list of players that were retained by the Hyderabad franchise.

Umran Malik was also named the Emerging Player of the tournament. The best figures of the “Jammu Express” in the IPL came against the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 season, where he grabbed five wickets by giving only 25 runs and played a crucial role in winning the match for Hyderabad.

Overall, Kashmir’s pacer has taken 29 wickets in 26 IPL Matches so far, with a bowling average of 26.01. In the 2023 Season, the young lad only got to play in 8 matches, where he picked up five wickets. The 2022 season was the best season so far for the 24-year-old cricketer, as he picked 22 wickets.

However, after the 2022 season, he has failed to impress the selectors with his fast bowling and has mostly been sitting on the bench. Currently, he has been ruled out of the first half of India's domestic season in the Duleep Trophy due to illness.