New Delhi

Veteran Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma wants young speedster Umran Malik to bowl as fast as he can without thinking about runs. The 23-year-old pacer from the Indian state of Kashmir first grabbed the eyeball at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season with his fiery speed.

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Speaking to media outlet Cricbuzz, Ishant said (not verbatim), "Malik shouldn't be worried about his line and length too much. He'll be able to manage it with experience but as of now, his priority should be speed. He should focus on speeding up and if he can, he should bowl 150-160 km/h deliveries."

The Delhi pacer also said that Umran's top priority should be taking wickets and not saving runs. "It doesn't matter if he gets hit for runs. The priority should be taking wickets and not thinking about saving runs."

Also Read: Skipper Rohit Sharma opens up on Suryakumar Yadav's place in XI after two first-ball ducks against Australia

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Malik, who consistently can bowl near or above 150 km/h is touted as one of the fastest bowlers in the world and in IPL 2022 season, the bowler, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, took 22 wickets in 14 matches - fourth most in the season. Ishant also agreed to his abilities and said that his aim should be to instill fear in batsman's eyes.

"The batsmen should close their eyes in fear else there's no point of speed. Umran should be given confidence by being told that bowl as fast so the batters close their eyes in fear," added Ishant.

Notably, Australian fast bowler Brett Lee also backed Umran Malik to make Test debut for India soon. Speaking to the media outlet Hindustan Times after being asked if India should include Umran in Test team, Lee said, "Why not? He is good enough, in my opinion. He is a superstar in the making. He has a good pace, has nice action, and runs well with a beautiful approach. So yes, he can be injected."

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Umran has already made limited-overs debut and has taken 13 and 11 wickets in eight ODIs and an equal number of T20Is, respectively.

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