Srinagar: Former England pace legend has said that India needs extra bit of pace in bowling and has backed Umran Malik to be part of Team India for T20 World Cup.
Umran Malik who hails from J&K did exceptionally well in IPL 2022 and was fast tracked into Team Indiana squad. He has played three T20I’s for India bit was not included for West Indies series.
However England legend, Darren Gough still feels that since the T20 World Cup will be held in Australia, India can really benefit from the pace at which Umran bowls.
“Bumrah, I think he is the best all-format fast bowler in the world. He is your first pick, the golden pick. Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes in because of his skill with the new ball. He is really important to take early wickets, slows the momentum down. We have seen that throughout the England vs India series. So, I think he has to be on there,” Gough said in video uploaded on Cricket.com YouTube channel.
Gough also said while he would consider Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, Umran should be an automatic pick for him for the World Cup, considering the pace he generates.
“(Mohammed) Siraj has got good pace. I have been impressed with him when I saw him bowl in Australia and when I saw him in India. Then you’ve got Umran Malik. Anybody who bowls that speed gets into my squad. On the pitches in Australia, you might just need that extra bit of pace to shock the opposition,” he added.
“But India have got so many options, Shami is another player with so much skills with the new ball. Then there is Prasidh Krishna. There is plenty of options but I would have Umran Malik, Siraj, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah,” he added.