IND v AUS 2020: 'At times he is unplayable' - Virender Sehwag on why Umesh Yadav should be India's third pacer in the 1st Test

Former Indian skipper Virender Sehwag has cast his vote for Umesh Yadav as India's third seamer for the pink-ball Test against Australia. He reasoned that the Vidarbha speedster has the ability to bowl unplayable deliveries.

He made this observation during a discussion on the Sony Sports network about India's probable lineup for the first Test of the series.

Virender Sehwag was asked if Umesh Yadav put forth his case for the third seamer's spot in the Indian team for the first Test with his three-wicket haul in the first innings of the warm-up match. He responded that the 33-year-old should be played, since his ability to bowl extended spells at pace will be an asset to any team.

"Absolutely. He is fit, he bowls fast, can bowl the long spells. So I feel that he should be played."

Sehwag added that he would even want Umesh Yadav to be considered for the limited-overs formats of the game. He pointed out that the RCB pacer has the ability to bowl the unplayable deliveries even though he might be inconsistent at times.

"But I have been his fan as well, that he should be played in white-ball cricket also. No doubt he has the wicket-taking ability although he might bowl one or two bad balls in an over. But the ball he delivers at the right spot, at times it is unplayable."

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Virender Sehwag on his advice to Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has represented India in 46 Test matches

Virender Sehwag recalled that he asked Umesh Yadav to consistently bowl in the good length areas in order to cause difficulties to the batsmen on Australian pitches.

"When he had come for the first time in the Australia tour of 2008, he used to bowl in the nets. I used to tell him just the one thing, that on these Australian pitches if you keep bowling on the good length regularly then you can trouble the batsmen because he gets the swing."

Virender Sehwag signed off by observing that Umesh Yadav would have been even more successful in Test cricket had he been a little more consistent with his line and length. He even gave the examples of bowlers like Shaun Pollock, Matthew Hoggard, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie who achieved great success with that approach.

"So in all these years he had to do just the one thing, that he bowls all the six deliveries at the same spot, then he can trouble the batsmen in Test cricket. We have seen Pollock, Hoggard, Glenn McGrath and Gillespie - all these people just used to bowl in one corridor and used to trouble the batsmen."

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green on Umesh Yadav:-"You could obviously tell the world class skill of Umesh Yadav. He was bowling down the breeze on a wicket that did not have enough for them. Yeah, that was incredibly tough," he said."

— ComeOn Sports 🇮🇳 (@ComeOn_Sports) December 9, 2020

Ishant Sharma, who has led the Indian pace attack in Test cricket over the last few years, will not be available for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to injury.

Umesh Yadav would certainly be the frontrunner for the third seamer's spot in the Indian team for the first Test against Australia, with Navdeep Saini as the other possible contender. Their performances in the second warm-up match starting tomorrow might decide who among the two makes the final cut.