"Special mention to Pat Cummins" - Basit Ali feels SRH captain deserves credit for the rise of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abhishek Sharma
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali believes Australian pacer Pat Cummins deserves credit for the rise of Indian players Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy. He suggested that Cummins, during his stint as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain, played a key role in the development of the two young guns.
Cummins was appointed as the SRH skipper ahead of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Under Cummins' leadership, the side finished as runners-up, suffering an eight-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.
Abhishek and Nitish impressed many with their performances in the season and subsequently earned maiden India call-ups. Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Basit said (from 4:30):
"A special mention to Pat Cummins. It would be unfair if I didn't take his name. The way he has supported Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the IPL, we must address that."
It is worth mentioning that Abhishek Sharma made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe earlier this year in July. The southpaw dazzled viewers with a stunning 100-run knock in just his second international appearance.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, on the other hand, made his India debut in the ongoing three-match home T20I series against Bangladesh. He was the Player of the Match in the recently concluded second fixture, scoring 74 runs off 34 balls and registering figures of 4-0-23-2.
The Men in Blue beat Bangladesh by 86 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 9. The hosts have clinched the series with one match to spare, claiming an unassailable 2-0 lead.
"I feel that Gautam Gambhir will also bring Umran Malik back" - Basit Ali
Basit Ali believes SRH's tearaway pacer Umran Malik could soon make a comeback to international cricket. He opined that Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir likes bowlers who have genuine pace. Basit said in the aforementioned video (from 7:20):
"I feel that Gautam Gambhir will also bring Umran Malik back. He will definitely consider him because Gautam likes genuine fast bowlers."
Umran's career began with a lot of promise. However, he soon fizzled out following a string of underwhelming performances and hasn't featured in an Indian XI since July 2023. Mayank Yadav seems to have pipped the 24-year-old in the pecking order. Umran played just a solitary match in IPL 2024, where he remained wicketless and conceded 15 runs from one over.