"You don't want to see that from Umran Malik" - Gautam Gambhir says speedster shouldn't resort to slower balls

Gautam Gambhir wants Umran Malik to continue bowling at express pace and not resort to slower deliveries even if he gets hit in T20I cricket.

Umran registered figures of 2/27 in his four overs in the first T20I between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, February 3. His spell played a crucial role in the Men in Blue registering a two-run win while defending a 163-run target.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his thoughts on Umran Malik, to which he responded:

"There will be matches where Umran Malik will bowl amazingly well and there will be matches where he will prove expensive. Will you still persist with him? Will the bowling coach still encourage him to bowl fast because in T20, once you prove expensive a few times, you are asked to develop slower ones or cutters. You don't want to see that from Umran Malik."

The former Indian opener feels the Jammu and Kashmir speedster will improve further with experience, elaborating:

"Either you have the pace or you don't, either you can bowl fast or you can't. The management's role becomes extremely important here. He will keep getting better the more he plays. You learn yourselves at times while playing international cricket."

Umran first had Charith Asalanka superbly caught by Ishan Kishan when the left-hander got a top edge while trying to pull a short delivery. He later got the crucial wicket of Dasun Shanaka, caught by Yuzvendra Chahal at extra cover off a 155-kph thunderbolt.

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"It was the first time his economy was under 8" - Irfan Pathan lauds Umran Malik's spell

Umran Malik conceded just 6.75 runs per over in Tuesday's game. [P/C: BCCI]

Irfan Pathan was further asked about the control shown by Umran, to which he replied:

"He had played three matches till now in T20I cricket. His economy was close to 10. It was the first time his economy was under eight, which is fantastic. He gave away only 27 runs and picked up two wickets."

The former Indian all-rounder praised the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) seamer for using his pace effectively, observing:

"It was not that he was looking at 150 kph right from the start. We saw the control, saw balls around 144 kph, and then when he felt that it was time to put in the effort, you also saw 155 kph."

Pathan concluded by opining that Umran will be regularly seen bowling in the middle-overs phase of the ODI World Cup later this year and that the youngster has taken the first steps in that direction.