"He has improved considerably" - Wasim Jaffer on Umran Malik performances in T20I series against Sri Lanka

Former India Test player Wasim Jaffer reckons Umran Malik has considerably improved in T20I cricket since his IPL 2022 performances. While Jaffer noted that the right-arm paceman was expensive in the three-game series against Sri Lanka, he also picked up crucial wickets.

Malik, who made his international debut in 2022 following a productive IPL season, finished as the highest wicket-taker in the T20 series against Sri Lanka, which India won 2-1. The 23-year-old snared seven wickets in three games at 15.14, with his best haul of 4-0-48-3 coming in Pune, albeit in a losing cause.

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Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo's Timeout, Jaffer said that while Malik still lacks variations, his line and lengths have improved significantly.

"I thought he has improved considerably. Since I saw him in the IPL, I thought he will always be expensive in this format because he doesn't have too many variations or slower balls. When you bowl at 145-150 clicks, sometimes you have to beat the batters with the lack of pace as well."

He continued:

"Anything that comes with pace, goes out of the ground, as the batters are smart enough to use that pace. But his line and lengths have improved considerably. He's also got that wicket-taking ability. He has been expensive in the games, but he has picked up crucial wickets. So, he has shown considerable improvements since I saw him in the IPL."

Meanwhile, Farveez Maharoof termed the youngster as an 'asset' for any team but believes more variations should make him a well-rounded bowler.

"He's an asset. If I'm the captain, and I have Umran Malik in the team, I'll be the happiest. He can bowl with the new ball and come in the middle overs to bowl with real venom. Having mid-on and mid-off up, three fielders on the leg side, two on the off side, bowl short and try and unsettle the batsmen."

Maharoof continued:

"He has everything, but he lacks slower deliveries, which I picked up quite a while ago. If he can develop a variation or two to create doubts in the batsmen's minds, I think he'll be a successful bowler. Imagine Jasprit Bumrah with Umran Malik, a complete bowler, and that should be the attack moving forward."

The third and final T20I in Rajkot saw Malik dismiss Dasun Shanaka and Maheesh Theekshana, including sending the latter's stumps flying. However, he conceded over ten runs an over and had an economy rate of 9.63 in the series.

"Since the first game, both spinners have improved considerably" - Wasim Jaffer

Axar Patel bowled India to victory in the first T20I. (Credits: Twitter)

Jaffer also observed how both Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal improved after underperforming in the first game. The 31-Test veteran especially reserved high praise for Axar, who thrived with both bat and ball. He said:

"Yuzvendra Chahal has that tendency. You will see him have an off day every now and then. But he comes back stronger, and that's what he did in this series as well. He picked up a couple of really important wickets in this game too. I would say Axar has been a find. He has bowled in the powerplay before this series, but his batting has come on really nicely."

Jaffer added:

"From the bowling front, he bowled with very good pace. Sometimes I think he floats it in, but he uses the pace well, hits the pitch hard, and gets some purchase out of it. Since the first game, both spinners have improved considerably."

A 91-run win and a series victory for India in Rajkot!

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Axar and Chahal bagged figures of 6-0-49-3 between them in the game as India won by 91 runs after amassing 228 in their 20 overs.