'Jammu express' Umran Malik earned his maiden call up for Team India for the T20 series against South Africa, starting from June 9.
The Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) named an 18-member squad for the Twenty20 International (T20I) series against South Africa, starting on June 9 in New Delhi. Rising fast bowlers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh who impressed with their respective performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 have been named in the squad which is set to be led by KL Rahul while star batters Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma have been rested from the series.Â
After an impressive performance in the IPL 2022, where Malik clocked 157 kmph with the ball, to record the fastest delivery of the season, the fast bowler has been fast tracked to Team India. He has also been among wickets which adds to his performance while Arshdeep has looked like one of the much-improved fast bowlers in the lucrative tournament. He has almost looked nerveless with his economical display at the death which has made him a regular in the Punjab Kings’ line-up and his captain Mayank Agarwal’s delight.
The prolific India all-rounder who sustained a lower-back injury in 2019 has made a return to the national team. He underwent a surgery in the United Kingdom and was treated under the same doctor who treated him during India’s tour of England in 2018 and the 2019 World Cup. His impressive performance in the IPL 2022 which saw him return to full fitness besides testing his caliber as captain has further helped him make a return to the national team.
Squad: KL Rahul (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(VC) (wk),Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik