Irregular opportunities in national side irk Umesh Yadav

For Umesh Yadav, his international career has been a roller coaster ride. The 31-year-old fast bowler is one of the members of India’s famed pace battery at the moment. But after winning a lot of accolades after his 10-wicket haul in a Test match against the Windies at home, failed to produce the same magic in Perth, Australia. He had a forgettable outing and finished with just 2 wickets for 139 runs in the match.

That was the only time he got to play an international match in the historic tour Down Under. Umesh, however, made a striking return to the domestic cricket picking up nine wickets for his side Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Uttarakhand and helped them reach the semifinals. Following the performance that earned him the Man of the Match award, the right-arm pacer talked about being left out of the team and the disappointment.

When asked whether he has clarity over whether he plays a role in white-ball cricket, Umesh said he left it for the selectors to decide. Umesh, who played for India in the 2015 World Cup, was clearly disappointed over his irregular appearances in the team.

If you don’t get chances, how will you prove yourself?

“As a bowler, I haven’t played any major tournaments. I just get an odd game in a series and then omitted. If you don’t get chances, how will you prove yourself? If you see, in the last two years, how many ODIs would I have played? Hardly four [or] five. I got two games in England, two against West Indies, then they picked me for T20s and now I am again out,” he was quoted as saying by Sportstar in an exclusive interview.

Umesh also said that if he performs in the Indian Premier League, he has to get a fair opportunity. He said the irregular chances add to the pressure on the player to maintain his place in the team and doesn’t help his cause to give the best and help the team win.

The right-arm pacer who has 234 international wickets also addressed the problem with consistently bowling with a particular line and length. Umesh put it on his irregular opportunities as well. He said his performance improved when he got to play a streak of matches – be it against England and Australia – but if he doesn’t get regular games, then it becomes difficult.

Am not a Superman

“Bowling in international cricket is different than playing here. Just like, after the first day (in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal), if someone had said ‘Umesh is here but hasn’t even been able to pick wickets against Uttarakhand’, it’s not fair. You have to also assess the conditions. I am not a Superman,” the fast bowler, who will complete a decade in international cricket next year, said.

The Indian team management came under question for picking Umesh ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Perth Test after Ravichandran Ashwin got injured. Captain Virat Kohli defended then saying Umesh had a good show against the Caribbeans at home.

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