Umesh Yadav Believes India has a ‘Best’ Pace Attack
Jan 21, 2019 at 4:55 PM
Team India speedster Umesh Yadav who in between struggled to maintain his line and lengths often than not revealed Indian team is blessed with the prominent pace battery to reap the rewards on any given conditions. He added it has further forced the opponents to ponder over owing to the preparations.
“I am sure it’s the best pace attack in India. You have pace, swing and even someone who just zips the ball past a batsman irrespective of the conditions. Now, you have a pace unit that the oppositions mull over for months before a series, and the opposition bowlers also know if you bowl too many short ones, they will also get it back,” Umesh told Sportstar in an exclusive interview.
However, Umesh couldn’t achieve much on the Australian tour after featuring in a solitary Test at Perth. But, in the first-class competition, he starred with the ball in the quarterfinal for Vidarbha—to take his team home following spectacular match figures of nine of 113 against Uttrakhand.
Thus, it pushed his team to make it to the semi-finals of the coveted Ranji Trophy competition.
Maturity among bowlers proved fruitful for India:
Also, Umesh stated the fast bowling department had improved a lot in the recent past. He opined that Virat Kohli’s side had covered all the bases to deliver goods irrespective of the condition.
“All of us have matured after having played in various conditions over the years. That’s a great benefit and all the bowlers know that the bowling attack is not just strong but a matured lot as well,” Umesh further said.
The 31-year-old Umesh stated the going gets tough in the top-flight cricket when the players fail to maintain the consistency which according to him is a certain drawback.
Pertinently, India lost the Perth Test by 146 runs. In the same Test fold, Umesh bagged just two scalps under his belt.
Optimistic Umesh maintained that he is aiming to gives his best whenever he gets a chance or so. He reiterated the ‘mistakes’ allow him to make a strong comeback
“Definitely, I had gone to Australia with the same thought that I will get [many] more opportunities than I did but when I didn’t get a chance after not doing so well in the second match, I had to come back and wait for my chance. Let’s see, one bad match doesn’t mean life is over. It’s given me time to think what I should do to and work on my mistakes to come back stronger,” Umesh asserted.
Umesh on the bowling trio:
Umesh has further heaped praise on the bowling trio in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. He remarked they wouldn’t allow the opposition to settle down with the spirit they are bowling at.
“You look at [Jasprit] Bumrah, Ishant [Sharma], [Mohammed] Shami — they are amazing. It’s not easy to play them individually, and moreover, with the pace unit we have, the opposition just cannot relax,” Umesh added.
Bharat Arun backs Umesh:
Apart from his work ethics, Umesh stated he has been in constant touch with Bharat Arun, the bowling coach. He added Arun had instilled confidence in him to return better than before.
“Definitely, we keep talking to each other. He believes in me, just like he does in all the five or six bowlers in the core group,” Umesh said.
Umesh respects team decision:
Umesh further clears the air on his exclusion in the playing XI from the remainder of the Test series Down Under. He believes the captain and the coach in the best position to decide while considering it in a team’s favour.
Umesh signed off by saying one has to respect the ‘team decision’ which players a crucial role in chalking out the plans in a nutshell.
So far, Umesh has featured in 75 One-day Internationals, 41 Tests and six Twenty20 Internationals for Team India. Across formats, the Vidarbha Express claimed 224 scalps under his belt.