SWOT Analysis of the Indian fast bowling unit for the tour to West Indies

Umesh Yadav:

Umesh Yadav presents himself as the fastest bowling option with his express pace being his biggest weapon and yet, the fact that he routinely decides to abstain from line and length makes it even easier for the batsmen to hit him for runs as they just have to guide the ball delivered at an express pace.

Even so, Yadav has a pretty good bouncer in his arsenal and can be a lethal force when bowling wicket to wicket. It was in 2011 that he played against the West Indies and picked up 9 wickets in 2 Tests thus earning him a place in the Australia tour. In what was otherwise a disastrous tour, Yadav emerged as a big positive for India, picking up 14 wickets in 4 Tests at a rate of 50.50 and impressing everyone with his speed and aggression.

He emerged on the scene around the same time as Varun Aaron and while the latter has fallen prey to a regular slew of injuries, Yadav himself is injury prone and has missed out on several games in the past due to injuries. In this sense, he is much like the other fast bowlers in India who in the process of bowling hard and fast on dry and dull tracks in India, injure or overstrain themselves.