Virat Kohli is more approachable than MS Dhoni as captain: Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav says he can be more open with Virat Kohli than MS Dhoni

Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav has revealed that players are finding it more comfortable under the stand-in skipper Virat Kohli. With regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni missing the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka and also set to miss the first Test against Australia, Dhoni’s deputy has been asked to lead the team.

Speaking on the team environment under Kohli, who has stressed on the need to stay positive and aggressive in Australia, the 27-year-old said players had some minor reservations with Dhoni, despite him being easily approachable.

“It’s definitely a different atmosphere under Virat,” Umesh said. “He’s like one of the guys. Being of the same age group helps and talking to him, discussing your problems becomes really easy. Don’t get me wrong. Dhoni bhai also keeps a very open channel for dialogue, but since he is such a senior player we are always a bit reserved around him. With Kohli it seems chilled out. You can be frank about stuff,” the bowler told starsports.com before leaving for Australia.

With the aggressive youngster looking to make his debut as Test captain, Umesh informed that Kohli’s aggression does make a positive impact on his game.

“He is an aggressive player and it does change you. You try and emulate the way your captain plays and that’s why you have seen a rise in aggression in our playing style. It’s been a fun series. It’s a positive atmosphere and that is what you want when facing a team like Australia,” he mentioned.

Not looking to bowl too fast: Yadav

The bowler is now operating with more control on his line and length, an appreciable improvement from the seamer who offered some easy runs due to being erratic earlier. Speaking on the same, Umesh said that he would like to stay consistent without cutting down on his speed.

“I’m not looking to bowl super-fast - I know people expect me to hit the 150k mark, something I did the last time I went to Australia - but bowling more controlled. I’ll be happy hitting 140 to 145 kmph if my bowling line is good and I don’t leak too many runs. I’ll be aggressive but not in a wayward kind of way.

“It took a while for my mind-set to change. I went back to my coaches and other mentors and worked on my control. Australia is a place where you have to bang it in because you get pace and bounce, but I also want to get my swing in control.”

However, Umesh is in a situation where he has to fight for his place in the side with three other genuine quicks namely Varun Aaron, Mohammad Shami and Ishant Sharma in the squad, apart from swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

“It is frustrating not being part of the 11 when you are part of the squad but that is how things go. I just have to keep bowling. That’s what I did when I was out of the squad. I bowled any chance I could get - Ranji, domestic, any local tournament. I was willing to put in the hours. That always helps,” he signed off.