Umesh Yadav, the veteran India pacer has said that he will do whatever he can in the upcoming IPL 2023 in order to make a good impression and get into the Indian team for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup which will be played in India in October-November this year.
Umesh Yadav will turn out for Kolkata Knight Rides (KKR) in the IPL 2023, and with the team struggling with a few injury concerns and the World Cup being a few months away, a good performance in the IPL could help his case to represent India at the World Cup.
The Vidarbha pacer, who is currently 35, has been utilized sparingly when the format changes to limited overs despite being a vital component of India’s plans in the red-ball format. Umesh hasn’t actually played an ODI in over four years.
“Guys like Umesh, Shami don’t need to be playing a particular format to succeed at it. They have proven themselves. It’s the quality. Young guys need to prove but not them. If they are fit and available they will be called back. We don’t need to look at form. We saw how well Umesh Yadav bowled in the IPL. He bowled pretty well. He gives us option to use upfront with the new ball, swings the ball, bowls fast so not a much debate about him,” Team India skipper Rohit Sharma had then said about Umesh Yadav’s comeback to India’s T20I team.
Umesh Yadav Wants To Make The IPL 2023 Count And Make It Into India’s ODI World Cup 2023 Squad
Umesh, who led KKR’s attack in IPL 2022, made an impact with taking 16 wickets from 12 games for a respectable economy of 7.06. Umesh performed admirably and managed to earn a recall to the T20I team. He played in the series against Australia and South Africa as an injury replacement. But he only made one appearance in each series.
Yadav, who has played 75 ODIs and picked 106 wickets with a best of 4/31, was part of India’s 2015 World Cup squad and has won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni’s leadership.
Talking to Aaj Tak about his ambitions to play in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, Umesh said that he needed to do well in the IPL 2023 to stake a claim in the Indian squad.
He said: “The ODI World Cup is played after every four years and this can be my last opportunity to be a part of it. So I need to do well in IPL and make a comeback in ODI format. As I said the World Cup comes after every four years and I’m not sure if I’ll be around then. Hence I want to make this season count and not wait for another four years.”
Meanwhile, with Shreyas Iyer being ruled out of the first half of the IPL 2023 due to his back injury, KKR has named Nitish Rana as their interim captain.