India vs South Africa 2019: Umesh Yadav credits strategy to play five bowlers for victory in second Test

Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav credited India's strategy to include five bowlers in the playing XI for the second Test match for victory in the second Test match at Pune. The win saw India take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match Test series against South Africa. According to Yadav, the bowlers bowled in brief spells, which is why they were not overworked at all. This aspect played a crucial role in skipper Virat Kohli's decision to enforce a follow-on.

During the post-match interview of the Pune Test match, the Vidarbha-based fast bowler disclosed that there was bounce in the track but it lacked pace. He even said that none of the bowlers chose to relax after the first innings. Yadav told the media:

“We bowled in short spells and we were not tired at all. All the bowlers said that we would like to go out there and finish the job. We didn’t want a break and let batsmen bat for some time and stretch it.”

Talking about the strategy of picking five bowlers in the match squad, Umesh added:

“There was bounce in the track but lacked pace. We had to hit the deck hard to extract the pace. The fast bowlers will come and send down three overs with full intensity and then spinners will come in. I think, this was a good idea. We could execute what we wanted.”

Umesh Yadav's performance in the second Test

Umesh Yadav played a vital role in India's win

Making his entry to the Test team after a gap of 10 months, the right-arm fast bowler scalped six wickets at the MCA Stadium to emerge as the best pacer of the game. He bowled 13 overs in the first innings where he conceded 37 runs, but grabbed the wickets of Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram and Theunis de Bruyn.

In the second innings, the 31-year-old pacer bowled eight overs and still managed to send three Proteas batsmen to the pavilion. Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and de Bruyn were his victims in the second innings.

Yadav had taken the place of middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari in the team. The team management will assess the conditions in Ranchi before taking a decision on whether to retain the pacer in the playing eleven or replace him with Vihari.

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