'Can't make 125 kph bowler bowl at 150...': Bharat Arun's brilliant take on 'fastest' Umran Malik
Bharat Arun lavished praise on Team India pacer Umran Malik and also had some special advice for him.
Umran Malik has lately been receiving rave reviews for his performances with Team India in international cricket. The pacer was in brilliant form during the recently-concluded three-match ODI series vs Sri Lanka, where he featured in the first two fixtures. In the first ODI, the bowler took three wickets in eight overs as India went on to win by 67 runs in Guwahati. The match also saw Virat Kohli slam 113 runs off 87 balls.
In the second ODI, the 23-year-old bagged two dismissals in seven overs, as India secured a four-wicket victory in Kolkata. The pacer didn't feature in the final ODI, which India won by 317 runs. Bowling 150-plus deliveries consistently, Umran is also a part of India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI and T20I series against New Zealand. The ODI series is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, in Hyderabad, and Umran will be hoping to build on his momentum if given a chance. The Jammu and Kashmir cricketer could also be a surprise inclusion for this year's ODI World Cup, if he keeps up with his inspiring performances.
Recently during a conversation with News24 Sports, former India bowling coach Bharat Arun analysed Umran and also had some advice for him on breaking Shoaib Akhtar's speed record. "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", he said.
"For fast bowling, physical fitness and skill is 50-50. He needs to work on both to maximise 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. 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", he further added.
