Umesh Yadav excited about leading India bowling attack in the absence of Ishant Sharma

Umesh Yadav will lead the bowling attack in the first Test in the absence of Ishant Sharma

Indian pace bowler Umesh Yadav is all set to lead the Indian bowling attack against the mighty South African batsmen for the first test, in the absence of Ishant Sharma. The Vidarbha cricketer also mentioned that he was hungry for taking more wickets for India in all formats, in an exclusive interview to TOI.

The 28-year old also spoke about maintaining the right balance when it came to bowling long spells and felt that the best way to stop a batsman was to simply take wickets. “I am a different kind of bowler. I like to go for wickets. I feel the best way to keep a batsman quiet is to get his wicket. Yes, sometimes I do find it difficult to contain a batsman.

”If you concentrate on hitting certain areas, it affects your speed. I feel speed is my strength. Almost all wickets that I have taken at the international or First Class level, have come because of speed. If I try to do something different, I won't be the same bowler. I am trying to strike the right balance. The more I play, the better I will get,” he said.

About the difference seen in bowling with the white ball when compared with the red ball, Yadav said he could accomplish more movement with the red ball than the white one. He also remarked that that red ball had its own advantages. “There's a difference between bowling in the Tests and the ODIs. In One-dayers, batsmen go after you right from the word go, while in the Tests they take time.

“You can afford to take time too, judge how the wicket is behaving and change your plans accordingly. The shorter format doesn't allow you to do so. The red ball moves more as compared to the white and it also reverses. If I have one bad spell, I can still make a comeback.”

One or two overs have spoiled my figures: Umesh

Yadav put forth his disappointment about being dropped for the last two ODIs against South Africa, but vowed to return stronger. “If I have leaked runs I have taken important wickets too. In Kanpur, I bowled well but had a couple of bad overs at the death. It's the one or two overs which have spoiled my figures. The margin of error in the shorter format is less as compared to the longer format.

”I am working on it. I had a good series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka last year. I had a good World Cup. You do go through rough patches but I am confident I will return stronger,” he said.

Talking about the upcoming test series where he is set to play his first test at home since 2012, Yadav felt consistency was a key factor for his success in the longer format and seemed excited about bowling to the likes of AB and Amla. “Consistency is something I will be focusing on. I have been a wicket-taker right from the time I started playing cricket. I want to remain the same. I always focus on getting wickets, irrespective of the situation, irrespective of the format. I want to be a bowler my captain can depend upon.”

“This(Test series) will be very important for me, considering the quality of the opposition. They are very good players of fast bowling. If I do well against the likes of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plesis and JP Duminy, I can take a lot of confidence from my performance,” he remarked.