NEW DELHI: Tearaway fast bowler Umran Malik broke Jasprit Bumrah's record of bowling the fastest delivery by an Indian pacer when he dismissed Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka in the first T20I, which India won by 2 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Debutant pacer Shivam Mavi led an inspired bowling performance with four wickets and he was ably supported by Umran and Harshal Patel as they picked up two wickets each.
Chasing 163, Sri Lanka kept losing wickets with tearaway quick Umran getting Charith Asalanka out for 12 and Harshal struck twice to leave Sri Lanka on 68/5.
Shanaka (45), led the Lankan run chase and hit Umran for a six in the 17th over but the speedster had his revenge two balls later to further dim the visitors' hopes.
Shanaka was going great guns but the delivery that seemed to have broken his concentration and momentum was the one bowled just earlier. Umran bowled a searing yorker and it had Shanaka scrambling to keep it out, and he brought the bat down and jammed it off the inside edge, the ball hit the ground before flying to Ishan Kishan who dived to his left and gloved it with both hands. Umran was interested in the caught behind appeal and skipper Hardik Pandya took the review.
The replays took considerable time and the third umpire had to make it sure that his decision was spot on. Though India lost the review, the time taken broke Shanaka's dismissal.
Umran steamed in next ball, and sent down a 155kph scorching delivery - the fastest ball of the match - full and around off, Shanaka wanted to drive it over extra cover but the extra pace did not allow him to get the elevation, sliced it to extra cover where Yuzvendra Chahal took a sharp catch close to his body.
Bumrah, who has been named in the squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, had bowled the fastest ball by an Indian pacer clocked at 153.2kph during the first Test of the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series at the Adelaide Oval that India had won by 31 runs.
