"Don't know why they're holding him back"- Former Pakistani skipper on Umran Malik's exclusion from the 1st T20 vs SA

After a long IPL season, India played their first international match against South Africa on Thursday at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. Rishabh Pant made his captaincy debut, but the result didn't go India's way, as they lost the match even after scoring a big total of 211/4 in their first innings.

A few things didn't go right for the home team, and it started with the selection of the playing XI. However, when everyone was thinking that either Arshdeep Singh or Umran Malik would make their debut, it didn't happen. Speaking of the Kashmir-born pacer, Umran had a really good season for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The 22-year-old picked up 22 wickets in 14 matches and also won the "Emerging Player of the Season". Former Pakistani skipper Salman Butt reckons that the pacer should have been given a chance in the first T20 against South Africa in place of veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Butt said in a video uploaded on YouTube that he doesn't know why the Indian team is holding the pacer back, at least to give him exposure. He stated that Bhuvneshwar is an experienced bowler and has done well for India, so they could have rested him and played the Kashmir-born pacer.

The former Pakistani skipper also highlighted that the 22-year-old brings a different skill-set to the game as he can offer a sheer pace that makes him a valuable asset for the team, and that could have surprised the batter.

Butter concluded, "Whenever the Indian bowlers missed their length, they were hit for six. This is where extra pace could've made a difference."

The visiting team chased down the 212 target with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare. The duo of David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen added an unbeaten 131* for the fourth wicket to register the biggest successful run-chase for South Africa in history. The second T20I match will be played on Sunday in Cuttack.