Promising uncapped Indian batter Abdul Samad said the call taken by Sunrisers Hyderabad to retain him and his statemate Umran Malik is “huge” as far as cricket in Kashmir is concerned. Both the J & K players were retained by SRH on November 30 alongside skipper Kane Williamson ahead of the mega auction for next year’s IPL.
In a positive reflection of the talent available in the valleys of Kashmir, the Sunrisers showcased their trust in two encouraging uncapped Indian players as some of their prominent first-choice individuals walked out of the set-up, hoping to make a fresh start next season.
But the decision benefitted Umran and Samad, who were two obvious positives for SRH in what was otherwise a disastrous IPL 2021. The team finished eighth in the points table with only thrre wins from 14 league games.
“It is a huge thing for the state of Kashmir that me and Umran Malik, both uncapped players, have been retained. We talk on a daily basis, and he was telling me that it would be great if we end up on the same team. We are like brothers. There will be a lot of responsibility on us,”
Samad told Sports Tak.
Since joining SRH ahead of IPL 2020, Samad, whose role in the side has been to be the lower middle-order aggressor, has made his runs at a strike-rate of 146.05. Many feel the franchise have underutilised him and should be giving him a spot higher in the batting order.
While Samad’s surge to the IPL has been heart-warming, it was Umran’s rise in the 2021 campaign that should inspire quite a lot of kids in Jammu and Kashmir. The raw speedster was initially part of the Sunrisers camp as a net bowler only for the UAE leg of IPL 2021, but T Natarajan’s injury gave him a backdoor entry into the squad.
Despite the little experience of domestic cricket behind him, Umran impressed one and all with his speed through the air and off the deck. He picked up two wickets in his three games at the back end of the tournament.
As he clocked 150 kmph in one of the games, Umran was asked by the Indian team management to be their net bowler during the T20 World Cup and sent to play the ‘A‘ series in South Africa.
