Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever to have played the game. He retired as international cricket’s most prolific run-getter in history and continues to be so.
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Tendulkar was earmarked for greater things right from the time when he was a shy teenager. He had admirers long before becoming a household name with Sunil Gavaskar being one of them.
Recently, during a TV show, Gavaskar has said the last time he got ‘really excited’ at having seen an Indian player was Tendulkar himself and he’s similar expectations for fast bowler Umran Malik now.
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“The last time I got really excited at seeing an Indian player was Sachin Tendulkar. And after that I am excited to see Umran Malik,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
In his first full IPL season, Umran left quite an impression with his sheer pace and ability to take wickets. He took 22 wickets from 14 matches while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad to finish as the fourth-highest wicket-taker of the season. What delighted experts and fans was the youngster’s ability to consistently bowl in the 140 kphs and quite often, he would breach the 150 kph as well.
Thanks to his performance, the 22-year-old was given a maiden India call-up for the ongoing T20I series against South Africa at home. Gavaskar thinks the pacer should get a game for India but considering the situation the hosts find themselves in right now, they might not be looking for experimenting.
“I do believe he should play, but again they might say that let us win the third one and get ourselves in a situation and then may be they can think about experimenting. It also depends on what the kind of surface they will get at Vizag,” Gavaskar said.
India trail 0-2 and need to win the third T20I set to be played tonight in Vizag to keep the series alive.
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