"There wasn't that much help for the faster bowlers" - Maninder Singh lauds Umesh Yadav's spell

Maninder Singh has lauded Umesh Yadav for making the best of his experience and bowling a penetrative spell on a surface that did not provide much assistance for the seamers.

Umesh registered figures of 4/25 as India bowled out Bangladesh for 227 in their first innings on the first day of the second Test in Mirpur on Thursday, December 22. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill then played out eight overs as the visitors ended the day at 19 for no loss.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Maninder was asked about his thoughts on Umesh having employed a slightly shorter length in the first two sessions and pitching the ball further up after Tea, to which he responded:

"Umesh Yadav is experienced, he is 35 years old and has played a lot of cricket. He knows what lengths to bowl in which conditions. So the experience he has of having played so much cricket, he used it to the fullest today on this pitch because I think there wasn't that much help for the faster bowlers."

The former Indian spinner explained why the Vidharbha seamer used different lengths before and after Tea, saying:

"When he felt the pitch did not have that much life, he kept the balls slightly shorter. When he pitched the ball up, it had gotten older and there was reverse swing. So you will not get the advantage of that if you don't pitch it up."

Umesh had Shakib Al Hasan caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at mid-off off the first ball after Lunch. He then got rid of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nurul Hasan and Taskin Ahmed in the post-Tea session to trigger a late-order batting collapse.

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"His attempt probably was to give as few runs as possible" - Maninder Singh on Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has an exceptional record in Tests played in Asia.

Maninder reckons Umesh aimed to create pressure by bowling restrictively, explaining:

"His attempt probably was to give as few runs as possible in his overs, so that he can gain from that and get more wickets. If you see Umesh Yadav's entire analysis today, he conceded only 25 runs in 15 overs and picked up four wickets."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by reiterating that the 35-year-old's experience held him in good stead, elaborating:

"You get these things through experience only. If he was 22 or 24 years old, he might have tried to pitch the ball up right from the start. I feel when there is moisture on the pitch at the start you might gain if you pitch the ball up, but he was present there, read the pitch well and figured out how to bowl on that pitch."

Apart from Umesh, Ravichandran Ashwin (4/71) and Jaydev Unadkat (2/50) were the other wicket-takers for India. Mominul Haque top-scored for the hosts with an 84-run knock.