Sunil Gavaskar was punching the ceiling in joy when Umran Malik picked up 5-wicket haul: Kevin Pietersen
India Today
IPL 2022, GT vs SRH: Former England captain Kevin Pietersen described how Sunil Gavaskar celebrated Umran Malik's maiden 5-wicket haul at the commentary box at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Sunil Gavaskar was elated seeing an Indian pace bowler rattle the stumps at incredible consistency. The batting great was keeping a constant eye on the speed gun every time Umran Malik ran in and jolted the Gujarat Titans batters in their IPL 2022 match against SunRisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The legendary batter, who has faced chin music from the mighty West Indies quartet during his heyday, was seemingly delighted to see Umran Malik clocking in excess of 150 kph. The 22-year-old fast bowler from Srinagar picked up his maiden 5-wicket haul and scripted a bit of IPL history as well, becoming the first bowler to pick up the first 5 five wickets of an innings.
There was one thunderbolt after another. Umran rattled Shubman Gill's stumps. He welcomed Hardik Pandya, the Gujarat Titans, captain with a bouncer that crashed into the all-rounder's shoulders. In his next over, he sent Hardik walking back with a well-directed bouncer. He hurled an unplayable yorker to send bak a well-set Wriddhiman Saha in his 2nd spell.
Umran completed his 5-wicket haul, sending David Miller and Abhinav Manohar's stumps for a walk in his final over. Gavaskar was screaming in delight on-air and former England captain Kevin Pietersen revealed how the India legend reacted to the 5-wicket haul.
"I think what was more exciting than these 5 wickets is the way Sunny (Gavsakar) was celebrating in the commentary box when he picked up his 5-wicket haul. Punching the ceiling, jumping and screaming. I think Sunny did that because how often have we seen India producing the fastest bowler in world cricket? You can see by the speeds he is delivering and the accuracy that you must be loving," Pietersen told Star Sports.
Despite Umran Malik finishing with figures of 5/25 in a spell of serious pace-bowling, Gujarat Titans successfully chased down 196, thanks to Wriddhiman Saha's blistering 68 and stunning cameos from Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan at the death.
However, Umran Malik was adjudged the Man of the Match for his spell that delighted cricket lovers on Wednesday.
