One of the biggest positives for Team India from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season was the unearthing of the gem named Umran Malik. The speedster hailing from Kashmir, took the league by storm as he consistently bowled at speeds over 150 clicks, which left everybody in awe.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) sensation would give such a good account of himself, that the selectors had no choice but to call him up for India's five-match T20I series against South Africa. While Malik didn't get a chance to make his debut against the Proteas, he was again included in India's squad against Ireland.

Malik received his maiden India cap from Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the first T20I against Ireland, but he had to wait until the second match, to get his first international wicket.

In his second match itself in India colours, the youngster faced a stern test as Hardik Pandya called him up to defend 17 runs off the final over.

As fate would have it, Umran Malik bowled a dot ball, to begin with, but overstepped on the very next delivery. The next two deliveries resulted in two back-to-back fours as Ireland inched towards a famous victory however, that's when India skipper Hardik Pandya had a chat with the youngster.

With 8 runs needed off the last three balls, Pandya simply told Malik to bowl two-dot balls, which would completely turn the tie in India's favour. 3 runs came in the final three deliveries as India won the match by 4 runs, and Malik had his redemption.

Speaking in a video posted by BCCI, Malik revealed that he was very emotional and he nearly cried while receiving his maiden India cap. It was a 'dream come true' moment for the pacer.

Shedding further light on the final over against Ireland, Malik revealed that Pandya urged him to try and bowl two dot balls, and the Kashmir-born speedster thanked the Indian skipper for showing faith in him.

Source : DNA India