Picture Credit: Twitter/@BCCI
Ever since India's exit from the semifinal stage of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, there has been a growing demand from a section of the fans as well as some members of the cricket fraternity to make a lot of changes in India's white-ball side. The most common suggestion that has come to the fore is the inclusion of a pacer like Umran Malik who has sheer pace and can make some sort of a difference even in conditions that do not necessarily assist seam and swing bowling.
Having said that, the Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler failed to make it to the Playing XI for the first ODI against Bangladesh. With the Bangla Tigers needing 51 to get and India needing just 1 wicket to win the match in the series opener in Dhaka, the Indian bowlers failed to get past the final barrier as the Men in Blue went on to lose the match. Yet again, the management would be forced to reconsider their bowling arsenal and try and give Malik a chance in the Playing 11 even as they wonder what went wrong in their batting.
Here are 3 bowlers who can make way for Umran Malik in the second ODI set to be played at the same venue.
1. Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur did not have that bad a game in the first ODI. He conceded 21 runs in his 9 overs and picked up a wicket. However, it was the fact that he could contribute a bit with the bat lower down the order that added weightage to his selection. But when the team needed some runs lower down the order in the first match of India's tour, Thakur managed only 2 runs off 3 balls. Giving Umran Malik a chance in his place will make it a more varied bowling attack and an option to attack the opposition's tale with pace.