Ravi Shastri wants this Indian T20 League 2022 star to be given a central contract

Ravi Shastri, the former Indian team coach, has been credited for identifying several young stars for the Indian team during his stint as head coach. And, he now believes Umran Malik should be included in the senior team. He feels that the 22-year-old should be offered a central contract as soon as possible. Malik will benefit a lot from being around the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, said Shastri.

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Malik has amazed everyone while playing for the Hyderabad team in the Indian T20 League 2022. He has been able to constantly produce speeds of over 150kmph. 157 kmph has been his highest speed this season. The right-arm bowler has also picked wickets consistently. He has taken 21 wickets in 13 matches so far. However, he has been a little expensive, with an economy of 8.94.

"(BCCI) Central contract straightaway. Don't let him float around, keep him in the mix with the main players. Then he learns by being around the Shamis and Bumrahs and see the way they train, see the way they manage their workload. Of course, the team management and support staff will be there. But don't let him go astray. Keep him in the mix," Shastri said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo Time-out.

Shastri also had a piece of advice for the youngster. He said that Malik struggles to keep his line and length maintained. He said that he should try to attack the stumps. In addition, he believes that Malik's pace is something that should not be tampered with.

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"I think he'll get better and better. You see his bowling, once he takes a wicket. Look at the lines he starts bowling as opposed when he is not getting a wicket. That's when he struggles, his lines are all over the place. You don't want him to cut down on pace. The last thing you'd want to tell him is while looking for control you cut down on pace. What you want him to do is get his lines right. If he can attack the stumps by constantly varying his length, he will trouble anyone. And he can really rattle a new guy coming in because he's got the pace, he can keep the bloke on his toes but it's that line if he can hit the channel without reducing his pace, it'll make a huge difference."

The 1983 World Cup-winning player said that Malik can also be a very useful player in the red-ball format. In conclusion, he said that he can build a strong bowling attack with Bumrah and Shami.

"Just tell him to do what he does best which is bowl fast... Also, educate him on the lines you've got to bowl. Tell him to focus on those three stumps. You get that right first. After that, you can try and learn whatever other skills you want to add. And I promise you this guy is going to be a handful in red-ball cricket. If you add this guy to the Indian pace battery with Bumrah and Shami, I think the Indian attack is going to be a serious one," Shastri said.