South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has spoken out about facing Indian pacer Umran Malik in the forthcoming T20I series in India. Malik stole the show in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 by continuously bowling above 150 kmph. He is presently a member of the Indian team, which will face South Africa in a five-match T20I series beginning on June 9.
Before the major auction in February, Sunrisers Hyderabad kept Umran Malik ahead of seasoned pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan. He finished the IPL 2022 season with 22 wickets in 14 games, the best of any Indian bowler. Many people, including Indian team selectors, were drawn to his consistency with pace. He is currently in line to make his international debut against South Africa in the forthcoming series.
South Africa has picked their strongest roster possible for the India tour, led by Temba Bavuma. The 32-year-old middle-order batsman was outstanding against India in the home Test and ODI series earlier this year. He also hit two critical fifties against Bangladesh in his last two Tests, but he is aware of the threat that India poses at home. For this series, India will be without important players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. However, Bavuma has stated that India still has talented and in-form players in their lineup.
He also recognizes Umran Malik’s threat in this series. He stated that no batter likes to face a 150-kmph bowl, but the player must prepare for it. South Africa also has a dangerous speed unit in the form of Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen, but Bavuma believes Umran Malik will have a great tournament.
