Close to 17 months later, speedster Umran Malik finally has some reason to smile.
The tearaway quick, who was fast-tracked into the Indian ODI and T20I teams following his success in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, particularly in the 2022 edition, finally stands a chance of playing his first competitive game since March 27 last year. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) take on Odisha in their Buchi Babu Invitational tournament game in Chennai, beginning on Tuesday, which may mark Umran’s comeback to competitive cricket.
However, a call on whether he will feature in J&K’s XI is likely to be taken before the toss, depending on the conditions at the SSN College ground in Chennai.
Umran, though, should have had his comeback from the start of the competition itself. But he hurt his ankle before J&K’s opener against Railways. “Umran hurt his ankle while practising at the Chepauk, but at present, he’s fine and back to bowling quite fast,” J&K bowling coach P. Krishna Kumar, also head coach of North Zone in the upcoming Duleep Trophy, said on Monday.
On his part, Umran is certainly relieved to be able to overcome his bout of injuries and illness, which had sidelined him for the entire 2024-25 season.
“Of course, it feels good to recover and get back to bowling fast, something I always enjoy doing,” the 25-year-old, with 13 and 11 wickets so far from 10 ODIs and eight T20Is, respectively, told The Telegraph.
Umran’s immediate focus is to make optimum use of the game time he gets in Buchi Babu and then make a mark in the Ranji Trophy. “During the recovery phase, returning to cricket was the mantra that helped me stay motivated.
“Before coming here (in Chennai), I’ve had my set of practice in Kashmir, including proper bowling sessions that helped me feel 100 per cent good fitness-wise. My focus now is to play Ranji and come up with impact-making performances so that I can again play for India,” Umran emphasised.
It surely will be a huge boost for India’s pace unit if a fit Umran can unleash his 150kmph-plus thunderbolts consistently.
