The Indians just recently completed an exhibition of the depth in their squad as they wrapped up a series win against South Africa in the three-match ODI series with a second-string squad. The first choice side was travelling to Australia for the T20 World Cup while the squad led by Shikhar Dhawan took part in the ODI series.
The Indians nevertheless suffered major blows in the form of Jasprit Bumrah and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who have both been ruled out of the marquee T20 tournament with injuries. The replacement for Bumrah is something that the management seems to be having trouble with.
Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami is considered to be the most likely replacement for Bumrah. The likes of Deepak Chahar, who is also in the reserves for the tournament is also in the race along with some other names.
Australian legend Brett Lee, however, feels that Umran Malik must make the cut for the World Cup as the fast, bouncy pitches in Australia are suited to his style of bowling. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh the only other fast bowlers in the squad, Lee felt that there was no express pace option, which makes the selection of Malik an even more obvious choice.
“Umran Malik is bowling at 150 km per hour. I mean when you have the best car in the world, and you leave it in the garage, then what’s the point of having that car? Umran Malik should have been picked in the Indian squad for the World Cup,”
Lee said in an interview.
“Yes, he is young, yes, he is raw, but he bowls at 150 kmph, so get him in the team, get him to Australia where the ball flies through. It’s different when you have a guy bowling at 140 kmph and a guy who is bowling at 150 kmph. India are a wonderful side, but a strong Indian side is the side that has Jasprit Bumrah. That would put pressure on guys like Bhuvneshwar Kumar,”
he concluded.
