3 reasons why Umesh Yadav is one of India's greatest fast-bowlers in Indian conditions

Having made his Test debut in 2011, Umesh Yadav has featured in only 55 Test matches. He has picked up 168 wickets at an average of 29.79 in the longest format of the game and is one of the few Indian pacers to have a better record in India rather than overseas. The 35-year-old has done really well in Indian conditions, despite the fact that the pitches favor the spinners heavily.

Here, we look at 3 reasons why Umesh Yadav is one of India's greatest fast-bowlers in Indian conditions.

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#1 Record in Indian conditions

Umesh Yadav has a phenomenal record in India, having picked up 101 wickets at an average of 24.52. He has picked up two five-wicket hauls and even has a match haul of 10 wickets in Indian conditions, which is not something that many pacers have been able to achieve.

During the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he became the fastest Indian pacer to reach 100 Test wickets in India. He sits above the likes of Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharma, and Zaheer Khan on this list. Umesh also has a better average than Kapil Dev among Indian fast bowlers to have taken over 100 Test wickets at home.

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#2 Umesh Yadav is not a first choice player

Umesh Yadav got to play the third Test in Indore only because the management wanted to rest Mohammed Shami. Yadav might not have even gotten this opportunity if Jasprit Bumrah was fit and a part of the squad. It's quite clear to all pundits, fans, and Yadav himself, that he is not one of the preferred quicks and only comes into the equation in case of injuries to first-choice players.

It is a difficult challenge for the quicks to bowl in Indian conditions but Umesh, despite knowing that he's not a sure-shot starter, has bowled extremely well and produced some sensational performances which puts him among the best to have bowled in India.

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#3 Doesn't get a consistent run in the side

Umesh Yadav gets to feature in only one or a maximum of two games on the bounce on most occasions, which never really allows him to find rhythm. As such, when he does get to play, there is immense pressure and scrutiny on him. Umesh is not a part of the white-ball setup, which means that he doesn't get to feature in too many competitive games either.

Despite all this, the Nagpur-born pacer has managed to do well for the national team in the few and far opportunities that he has got.