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Jammu, Indian-controlled Kashmir—— Early in the morning, a group of young people were playing cricket on a small field along the Tawi River in the Gujar Nagar district of Jammu.
A 12-year-old boy held a tennis ball tightly in his right hand and ran.
The ball quickly hit with all his energy, passed the batter, and hit the stone marking the wicket.
The bowler happily walked a few yards to the batter, and said proudly: “The rhythm like Umran Malik is not easy.”
This comment aroused cheers and laughter from the people around, and also proved the rise of Kashmir stars in the cricket world.
The son of a fruit seller, Malik was recruited by Sunrisers as a net bowler, but when Thangarasu Natarajan was excluded from the game due to COVID, Malik was selected for the team.
The 21-year-old Malik delivered the fastest goal of the recently concluded 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) at a speed of 153 km/h (95 mph), an Indian T20 league event.
He instantly became a star. Because he often timed more than 150 km/h (93 mph) in several IPL matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team, he won praise from many people, including Indian captain Verat Kohli.
“This event generates talent every year. It’s great to see a 150-year-old man bowling [kmph]. It is important to understand personal progress from now on,” Coley said.
A young boy playing cricket along the Tawi River in Gujarnagar, Jammu [Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera]He added that a strong fast bowler “is always a good sign for Indian cricket. Whenever you see such a genius, you will pay attention to them and make sure you maximize their potential. This is already IPL level”.
His speed also aroused the admiration of competition experts.
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop (Ian Bishop) said that Malik has all the qualities of a truly “powerful weapon”.
“Malik is very slow, which is very rare. This is a rare commodity,” he said on ESPNcricinfo.
Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle said that Malik is not only a “heart-piercing man”, but also looks like a “right bowler” who needs to be taken care of.
In 2018, Malik was selected for the Jammu and Kashmir under-19 team. He continued to participate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the 20-year Indian Domestic Cricket Championship and the Ranji One Day Trophy.
Although Sunrisers Hyderabad did not perform well in this year’s IPL-ranking last in the standings-but for Malik, turnout has opened up new opportunities.
After being selected as the Indian national team for the T20 World Cup, he was told to stay in the UAE.
As a little boy, Malik is a regular on the court, and the children are playing and performing his feats.
Here, this plot of potholes and rubbish often doubles as a pasture for sheep and buffalo.
“We are very happy to see our son participate in the IPL competition and he is now selected as the World Cup net pitcher. He makes all of us proud,” his father Abdul Rashid Malik (Abdul Rashid) Malik) told Al Jazeera at their home in Jammu.
“He has always been passionate about cricket. The only thing he likes is cricket, and we never stopped him from playing,” he said. “We just pray that he now plays for the Indian team and makes his country proud.”
Umran’s banner hanging in his hometown after the IPL performance [Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera]Malik is the youngest of three children and the only boy. His family said that he grew up in a common family in Gujar Nagar and was loved not only by his parents and two sisters, but also by all his relatives.
Since he was a child, he has been attracted to cricket and will travel across the Jammu district to participate in tennis matches.
Malik dropped out of school after 10th grade to focus more on cricket.
“We never scolded him, at least because he played cricket, even though he would play all day,” his father said.
“He always said,’I will play for India one day,’ so we decided to let him play and realize his dream,” he said, adding that he never wanted his son to help him at his fruit stand or at Work there.
In addition to family and friends, Malik’s IPL performance also brought joy to young cricket players in the area.
A banner with his photo and “Proud of Umran Malik” hung on the market in his hometown.
His IPL performance brought new vitality to the local young people playing cricket. They now want to bowl as fast as Malik, or work hard and follow in his footsteps into IPL.
Locals in Gujar Nagar told Al Jazeera that since Malik worked at IPL, cricket activity has suddenly increased and more and more boys come out to play cricket.
The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) office also cheered.
Sheikh Shariq (Sheikh Shariq) is a young, 6-foot-2, fast bowler from the Saida Kadar region of Srinagar. He has practiced with Malik in Jammu. He has been to his colleagues They are full of praise.
“Umran was a huge inspiration for us,” Sharik told Al Jazeera from the JKCA office in Jammu, where he participated in the training camp for the upcoming domestic cricket match.
“This gives us hope that if we work hard, we can also be on the big stage.”
Others believe that Malik’s choice has brought new vitality to cricketers and children in the area.
Another cricket player who played with Malik in a domestic team under the age of 23 said: “This has strengthened our confidence. Umran, who once played on this field, is a member of the Indian team today.”
‘Proud thing’
JKCA member Anil Gupta (Anil Gupta) told Al Jazeera that Malik is now the “prudence” of everyone, especially the JKCA who “bred” him.
Gupta added that Malik is always motivated and passionate about his game. He broke the myth that Jammu produces excellent batsmen and Kashmir produces excellent fast bowlers.
“Despite the short contact time for first-class cricket, he has reached the top. It is totally hard work,” Gupta said, before adding that after these achievements, the enthusiasm for cricket in the Himalayas will only increase. .
“He will soon become the idol of young people in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Nishanta Bordoloi, JKCA’s defense and fitness coach, said that when he entered the sports field on Sunday morning, he saw several children playing cricket nearby and overheard one of them saying he was Umran Malik.
“This is the inspiration we need now,” he said. “The excitement of young people who bowl quickly and follow them, it brings a lot of excitement and enthusiasm to the players.”
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