India is set to tour the West Indies for a two-match Test series, and former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has given his take on the team. He believes that the Indian selectors should consider giving Umran Malik a chance in Test cricket. Malik is a fast bowler who has been in good form in white-ball cricket.

Umran Malike has consistently bowled at speeds of over 150 km/h, and he has taken 13 wickets in eight ODIs and 11 wickets in eight T20Is. Manjrekar believes that Malik’s pace could be an X-factor in Test cricket.

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Sanjay Manjrekar said, “I believe if you have to pick Umran (Malik), give him a chance in Test cricket because we saw when Mark Wood played the last Ashes Test, a guy who can bowl 90 miles per hour, his specialty is that the tail-enders don’t stay against him for long.”

The Indian bowling lineup was one-dimensional in the WTC Final 2023, and Manjrekar believes that Malik could add some much-needed variety. He said, “So, if you have to see Umran Malik, instead of white-ball cricket, if you have a Test series that is not that high-profile, give him a chance there, three-four over spells. So, he will be an X-factor in our bowling.”

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Malik has only played a handful of first-class matches, so he would need to improve his line and length before he could be considered for a Test call-up. However, Manjrekar believes that Malik has the potential to be a successful Test bowler. He said, “He has got that extra pace but the bowler still needs to focus on his line length to get a test call-up.”

The Indian selectors will have to decide whether to give Malik a chance in the Test series against the West Indies. If they do, he could be a valuable asset to the team.