SunRisers Hyderabad's Umran Malik put on a solo show and picked up 5 wickets against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, April 27, night.
By the end of his spell of 4-0-25-5, Malik had spectators at the Wankhede stadium on their feet.
The soft-spoken 22-year-old fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir, who has been impressive throughout the IPL 2022 season with his pace, has impressed the cricketing pundits.
Among his admirers is a former finance minister of the Republic.
P Chidambaram -- not known previously for interest in cricket though the stadium in Chennai is named after his uncle M A Chidambaram and his cousin A C Muthiah was BCCI president from 1991 to 2001 -- appealed to the BCCI to appoint a special coach for Malik and soon make him a part of the national team.
'His quick pace and aggression are worth watching. After today's performance there is no doubt that he is the find of this edition of IPL,' Chidambaram tweeted. 'BCCI should give him a special coach and get him included in the national team quickly.'
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who has been very impressed by Umran, said during the commentary on Star Sports that Malik should be fast-tracked to the Indian team and should be part of the tour party to England.
'I think he might not play in the XI because India have got Shami, Bumrah, Siraj and Umesh. But just traveling with this group, sharing the dressing room with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, look what it's going to happen to him. Take him to England for the one-off Test and the limited-overs,' Gavaskar suggested.
