"I am fully focused" - Umran Malik on his participation in 2024 Duleep Trophy
India's tearaway speedster Umran Malik is set to be seen in action in the upcoming 17th edition of the Duldeep Trophy. The pacer has been named in Team C and will play under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy.
Opening up on his participation in the red-ball domestic tournament, Umran stated that he commenced his preparation after recovering from dengue. Hoping to do well for his team in the season, the 24-year-old told ANI:
"I am feeling better and now I am fully focused on the preparation of the Duleep trophy at NCA. I hope, I will be doing good in this season for my team."
Umran Malik has begun training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for the 2024 Duldeep Trophy. He will aim to be in the reckoning of national selectors by doing well in the upcoming domestic season.
He featured in just one match for SuniRsers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, where he remained wicketless and conceded 15 runs from a solitary over.
It is worth mentioning that Umran made his Team India debut in June 2022 in a T20I game against Ireland. While his career started with a bang, he soon fizzled out from international cricket following a string of underwhelming performances.
"I believe swing can make a huge difference at my pace" - Umran Malik
During an interview with The Indian Express earlier this month, Umran Malik spoke about how he has started bowling with the new ball. He mentioned that with his express pace, swing is a handy weapon in his arsenal.
"These days I’m bowling a lot with the new ball because I believe swing can make a huge difference at my pace. I want to learn a few things, especially how to formulate a plan and execute it. If you have that, then you will be better prepared to handle the challenges," Umran said.
Umran Malik had a dream IPL season in 2022, picking up 22 wickets from 14 outings. However, he hasn't been able to replicate the same success in the subsequent seasons.
He has featured in 10 ODIs and eight T20Is, bagging 24 wickets across the two formats. Umran's most recent appearance for Team India came in July last year, where he registered figures of 3-0-27-0 in an ODI against the West Indies.