3 Players MS Dhoni didn’t back but Virat Kohli did

When Umesh Yadav first arrived on the international scene in 2011, there was quite a bit of excitement. One of the biggest reasons was his pace and his ability to lock high speeds regularly. However, consistency and accuracy have been the issue.

Yadav was in and around the Indian team across all formats. However, he played just 13 Test matches under MS Dhoni. He was quite wayward and Dhoni didn’t really have enough trust in the Vidarbha pacer. However, Kohli’s love for fast bowlers saw him back Umesh Yadav consistently.

Hence, the right-arm fast bowler featured consistently post 2015, especially in Test cricket. At home, he has been one of India’s first-choice pacers. He played 12 out of the 13 Test matches India played in the 2016-17 home season and did really well. He continues to enjoy Kohli’s confidence and is one of the premier red-ball pacers. Even in white-ball cricket, despite not having the best returns, India (under Kohli) have constantly gone back to Yadav.