Jammu & Kashmir pacer Umran Malik has shared that he has been in good physical shape and is looking forward to returning to playing cricket on a regular basis. The express pacer played his last competitive match in March 2024 during the IPL 2024 game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. His last international outing dates back even longer, when he featured in a T20I for India against West Indies in Barbados in July 2023.
The right-arm speedster is eager on getting as much game time as possible and seems to be keen on proving a point with his performances in the upcoming season. Umran credits his recovery from the various setbacks incurred in the past to a lot of his coaches who worked on his fitness recovery and thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India for their support.
“I’m feeling good. I haven’t played cricket for a long time. I was injured for seven-eight months. It was a struggling phase. It feels really good to be back. I have played a lot of red-ball and T20 matches in Kashmir. It was our registration camp. We have come to Chennai for the Buchi Babu [tournament]. It’s good to play as many matches as I can. It’s good for my body’s workload. I’ve come back and will do well in the season,” stated Umran, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“Nishanta [Bordoloi, strength and conditioning coach] was helping me. Thulasi [Ram Yuvaraj, physio] sir and Suresh [Rathore, physio] sir and [VVS] Laxman [BCCI Centre Of Excellence chief] sir – he gave me everything [I needed]. Thanks to the BCCI. Injury is a part of life for a sportsman. It is bound to happen. At that time, I kept myself strong. Everything is fine now,” he added.
Umran opened up that the aspirations to play for India had not died down, and he would want to represent the nation soon.
“Yeah, I’ll be bowling in full rhythm now. I’m a sportsman and I don’t pay attention to social media. Actually, I want to play cricket. I just want to protect my body from injuries, and I want to play cricket well. I want to play for India and that’s my aim. I will play the matches after this Buchi Babu, and I think the Ranji Trophy. Hopefully, I can take wickets and make a comeback,” commented Umran.
Jammu & Kashmir will kickstart their 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign on October 15. All eyes will be on Umran during the red-ball season in a format he last played more eighteen months ago. He has previously been a victim of hamstring and will be aiming to make the future opportunities count.
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