'Confidence not an issue, problem is with skills': Umran handed hard-hitting reality check by India's WC-winning pacer

Team India enjoyed a dominant start to the ODI series against West Indies in Barbados, beating the hosts by five wickets in a fairly one-sided game. The Indian spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (4/6) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/37) ran through a hapless Windies batting order, forging an Indian fifty-over record for most wickets among left-armers in an innings. Only Shai Hope (43) provided some fight against the Indian bowling lineup, which took the field without three of its leading pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.

In the absence of the aforementioned pacers, India opted to hand a debut to Mukesh Kumar, while Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik took the other two spots. With Hardik Pandya also contributing, India didn't really miss their three key fast bowlers; however, there remains concern over Umran's form in the white-ball format.

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It isn't as if Umran Malik's performances in the ODIs have been unimpressive this year; the appearances, however, were inconsistent. Umran had played three ODIs in 2023 before the one against West Indies – all in January. In two matches against Sri Lanka, he took five wickets, and also recorded a dismissal against his name in the only appearance in the three-match series against New Zealand. Interestingly, he didn't feature in a single game during Australia ODIs, and went on to endure a forgettable outing in the Indian Premier League.

At a platform which earned Umran his maiden Indian cap last year, Umran failed to make a mark in 2023. Such was his fall that he was benched by Sunrisers Hyderabad mid-way through the season. Umran picked five wickets in eight games, conceding at 10.85. His outing against West Indies in the first ODI was Umran's first since the IPL, and even as the sample size was small – he bowled only three overs – Umran hardly impressed the fans.

The bowler didn't look lethal, neither did his short balls look threatening despite the pace. He conceded 17 runs, and returned without a wicket.

Confidence not an issue

Former India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh, who is part of the broadcasting team at JioCinema, the official broadcasters for the West Indies series, believes Umran's problem is not with his mindset. Singh believes that the pacer can only find rhythm with regular bowling, and three overs are barely enough for any bowler to understand where the weakness lies. Furthermore, Singh pointed out a certain regularity in Umran's bowling in the first ODI, with which the former cricketer wasn't very pleased.

“I don't think it's a confidence issue, but there are a few things that I noticed while commentating during the 1st ODI. He was bowling cross-seam deliveries quite a lot, that could have been avoided. His pace was good but he bowled only three overs, which I felt were less. He could've been given more overs. Rohit opted to give the ball to Kuldeep instead,” Singh told Hindustan Times in an interaction.

"I don't see any major issue with his bowling, though. I actually think his deliveries have started moving a bit. Things are still in his favour. He needs more matches. When you get 2-4 wickets, you don't need external motivation.

“He was relying on cross-seam, maybe to find reverse. I think he should stick to seam only. I don't find any major problem right now. If he gets 7-8 overs in a game with some consistent spells, he will be more aware of how his body is reacting, and whether he is in rhythm or not.”

With Umran enduring a rough spell, is he the right man to put faith on as India head into the World Cup with less than three months' time? Singh certainly believes so, given Umran is given consistent playing time.

“Before the World Cup, we will have many matches. If we do well in Asia Cup, we will have 5-6 matches here. Overall, there are still many matches remaining till that World Cup opener. If he gets a consistent run in those games, he will certainly do better,” says Singh.

Umran's pace had made him an overnight sensation last year in the IPL, and is largely the reason why he stands apart from his contemporaries. And Singh believes that it still works to his advantage but the pacer needs to develop the understanding about his game.

“I will still say, his biggest advantage is his pace. The problem is the skill. The (ball) movement isn't much right now, and planning the game (needs to improve). You also have to set batters up. He hasn't learnt that as quickly as he should have. He concedes run, that remains the biggest worry. So, the Indian team needs to know how and when to use him,” said Singh.

"By the looks of it, he will remain in the loop for the World Cup. And you can't develop a player by playing him one game and then benching him for two. If they think Umran Malik is one for the future, they have got to show faith in him and polish him.

“When we played, our major focus early into the game was to be economical, so the captain shows faith in us to give longer spells. And that's something Umran has to learn himself. The earlier he learns that, the better for him.”