It has been a stellar rise for J&K pacer Umran Malik since October this year. 21-year-old who turned heads for clock speeds in excess of 150kph IPL He was rewarded as the net bowler with the Indian team in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for his team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Read also: Vihari included in India ‘A’ squad bound for South Africa
Malik’s impressive performance now sees him in the India ‘A’ squad for the four-day series against South Africa ‘A’.
Malik’s rapid rise in fortune has made his father Abdul Rashid happy. “He used to tell me, ‘Papa, I want to play for India’. Our wishes have always been with him. We pray to God that our child plays for India one day. Now that his name is India ‘A’ Have arrived in the team, I hope that in future his name will come in India team and make the country proud. We tell everyone ‘He is not our child; He is the child of the nation’. Now our only wish is to make him good Have to watch it play and make the country proud.”
“We are really happy. Entire J&K and India are happy for this kid. The whole nation is appreciating him. We are very happy with the entire nation because he has bowled very well,” Rashid said.
Read also: Rahane to captain in Kanpur, Kohli rested; Rohit will leave the series
From being a net bowler for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL, Malik was included in the main squad after left-arm pacer T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19. As he displayed his raw pace in the IPL, he caught the attention of many fans and cricketers including Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Rashid credits his son’s pace to God-given energy and endurance, which has seen Malik register his name in the top ten fastest balls of IPL 2021 with a top of 152.95 kph (ranked second). Is. “He has got natural strength and he didn’t learn anything from anywhere. He used to practice in the cricket academy as well as in the college. God has given him the strength to bowl well. He’s played really well so far.”
“He has a lot of stamina and used to play cricket all day. He used to leave at 10 in the morning and come back at 7 in the evening. He used to carry only 3-4 bottles of water with him while leaving for practice. It used to be so hot in summers and still, he used to go for practice. He used to say, ‘Dad, I have to go for practice’.”
Malik belongs to a simple family of Gujjar Nagar, Jammu. Rashid, who works as a fruit vendor in Shaheedi Chowk, says his family always supported his son’s cricketing ambitions. “He was three-four years old when he got interested in cricket. We never stopped him from playing cricket. Whatever he needed to play the game, we provided him with the best of what we had. He was never made to feel that my parents wouldn’t let me play or bring me anything. We did whatever we could for him.”
Malik’s passion for cricket was such that his family had to feed him on time. “He used to go and play cricket during the day after studies. Such was his dedication to cricket that he didn’t care to eat on time and we had to feed him. After having dinner, he used to go back to play cricket. He had an interest in sports from a very young age,” says Rashid.
Malik’s rise since IPL 2021 has sparked a flood of congratulatory messages for Rashid at work. “People are very happy. Many of them stopped their cars and congratulated. Everyone is very happy in Jammu.”
Rashid signed off by saying, “Duyaein karna bachche ke liye. Hamari yahi duaa hain ki bacha acha khele, apne desh ka naam roshan kare. Hamari yahi duaa hai uske saath ki yeh India game. (Please pray for the child. Our wish is that he plays well and brings glory to the country. Our wishes are with him to play for India).”
get all IPL news and cricket score Here
,