I Am Really Impressed With The Way Umesh Yadav Bowls: Rodney Marsh
Feb 18, 2017 at 12:10 PM
Rodney Marsh, former Australia fast-bowler, has praised Indian pacer Umesh Yadav, admitting the Indian speedster would have reached the 150-wicket mark in Tests by now if he was an Australian bowler.
The Vidarbha pacer is one of the rare Indian bowlers who can constantly hit the 140kph mark or more. His lethal outswingers and bouncers have further strengthened his artillery. However, the 29-year-old does not have the wicket-tally to justify his exceptional bowling performances on Indian pitches. His recent bowling performance against Bangladesh in the one-off Test was a perfect example of the way his Test career has panned out so far.
Speaking to The Times of India, Marsh said:
“I am really impressed with the way he bowls. If Umesh was in Australia, he would have got over 150 Test wickets by now. He is quick, has a great action but Indian conditions don’t suit fast bowling.”
Meanwhile, the retired bowler said Australian pacers could be the trump cards for Steven Smith in the upcoming Border-Gavsaskar series. The team from Down Under has picked up four frontline spinners in their squad but Marsh said fast-bowlers could still play a pivotal role on slow Indian pitches.
“I couldn’t believe what Starc did in Sri Lanka last year (24 wickets from 3 Tests).Those were tough conditions for a player from Australia and he gave it his all. Both Hazlewood and Starc complement each other. Hazlewood makes fast bowling look so easy. In Starc, Smith has someone who can deliver both with the new and old ball,” said the player who played 38 Tests and 71 ODIs for Australia.
Giving his views on Australia’s decision of having four spinners for India series, Marsh said:
“They are not just thinking about this tour, but have an eye on the future as well. We have one of the best off-spinners in (Nathan) Lyon but he hasn’t dominated in India before.
“We have someone like Steve O’Keefe who has played there before. I feel both (Mitchell) Swepson and (Ashton) Agar are work in progress,” he added.
When asked about the bowling combination that Australia can use against India, he said:
“At home, we play three quicks -Starc, Hazlewood and Bird. But in India, they would like to play two quicks and two spinners. If you see the England side, they had a lot of balance in each aspect (pace and spin) of their bowling. They had every base covered but still couldn’t do too well (against India). Our fifth bowler could be crucial if we are to bowl about 150 overs (against India),” he concluded.