‘But if someone is bowling 125, can't make…’ - Former team India bowling coach on Umran Malik

Team India are currently preparing for the upcoming home series against the Kiwis. Recently, they defeated Sri Lanka in both the T20I and ODI series. However, fans were happy to see the performance of young pace sensation, Umran Malik in those series. Along with his sheer pace, he came up with wickets at crucial stages for the Men in Blue.

In the T20I series, Umran Malik was the highest wicket-taker with seven wickets in three matches. Then, in the ODI series, Umran grabbed five wickets in two matches. Now, regarding his recent performance, the former team India bowling coach, Bharat Arun shared that Umran Malik is a great find for the Men in Blue.     

“He is a huge talent for India and we need to nurture this talent.” - Bharat Arun on Umran Malik

During an exclusive conversation with News24 Sports, Bharat Arun said: "Umran Malik is a great find for India. Somebody who bowls 150-plus consistently. He is a huge talent for India and we need to nurture this talent. We have the option of making him a very good bowler for India in the future."

"For fast bowling, physical fitness and skill are 50-50. He needs to work on both to maximize his potential, with consistency. He needs to work on these both things. If you work on your action, your line and length will get better and speed will increase as well,” he added. The former team India bowling coach also said that specific drills are needed to improve the speed of any bowler. Workload management is also an important part of that process.  

“To increase the pace, drills can be helpful and workload monitoring is also important. Any bowler can increase the pace by 5 kmph easily with the kind of work (when questioned if he can break Akhtar's 161 kmph record). But if someone is bowling 125, can't make it 150. Some putting 135, can make it 140. Some bowling 140, can make it 145. But you cannot increase too much," Bharat Arun concluded.