IND vs AUS: Umesh Yadav the son of a coal miner and an ace with the old ball is an honest trier
March 2, 2023
The main thing is when you dont play back-to-back games and get the odd match in between, what happens sometimes is that you dont have the match-rhythm of bowling. The kind of confidence that comes when you are consistently playing. That rhythm is different. You do worry about the fact that you might get dropped if you dont do well in this chance. Your focus is different then, Yadav had said.
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Indias Umesh Yadav celebrates dismissal of Australias Cameron Green during the second day of third cricket test match between India and Australia in Indore, India, Thursday, March 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)
On Thursday, Yadav found the rhythm with the old ball in Indore. Australia lost six wickets for 11 runs, three of them were scalped by Umesh who got the ball to reverse swing and also skid through. Cameron Green was trapped leg-before-wicket and Mitchell Strac and Todd Murphy had their stumps rattled by Umesh. He made the old ball talk and also crossed a mini-milestone: 100 wickets at home for an Indian fast bowler. The list is topped by the peerless Kapil Dev with 219 wickets at home. But Umeshs (100 wickets) name in the list just below Ishant Sharmaand Zaheer Khanwith 104 scalps and Javagal Srinath with 108 shows how under-rated he has been.
The fast bowler said that he used to stew in self pity when he didnt get a regular run but had soon realised it was self-defeating.
Thoda kharaab, buraa toh lagta hai (You do feel a touch bad) that you arent getting as many chances. I used to feel a bit down in the past about sitting on the sidelines and watching. But its important that you make yourself understand the situation. I realised that its not healthy if I slip into pity. That feeling isnt good as you wont be able to perform well when you get a chance, Umesh had said.
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Those who know Umesh say he isnt someone to let things affect him beyond a point.
One of his friends sold him a flat at nearly double the market rate. But Yadav didnt lose his cool when he realised he had been taken for a ride. He just brushes the topic aside if someone brings it up, another close friend said. Yadav is someone who blindly trusts his friends and those in his inner circle. His manager recently allegedly duped him of Rs 44 lakhs.
Umesh, known as Bablu back home, does not have a bad bone in his body, his friends say. He is also not a people pleaser and does not believe in image-building on social media.
His old coach Pritam Gandhe says there is no Chal-Kapat (shrewdness to cheat people) when it comes to Umesh.
He is a straightforward boy. He is not the one who will do his own brand building exercise. His life is limited to his bowling, fitness and family. You will never see him in any controversy. He doesnt do showbaazi, Gandhe, who spotted him during a tennis-ball game, said.
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Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 9:42 am