Umesh Yadav explains how India slipped after reducing England to 62-5 on day two of the Oval Test

Indian seamer Umesh Yadav has made a strong comeback to Test cricket in the fourth Test against England at the Oval. Yadav played a key role in limiting England's lead to 99 on day two. He took three wickets before the tourists started finding their feet.

Umesh Yadav had already made a significant breakthrough late on day one by dismissing Joe Root. The Vidharba right-arm seamer made two more incisions on day two within the first hour. Yadav got rid of Craig Overton and Dawid Malan.

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul take India to stumps on 43/0, trailing England by 56.#WTC23 | #ENGvIND | https://t.co/zRhnFj1Srx pic.twitter.com/2Lxp68jbPY

— ICC (@ICC) September 3, 2021

However, he also gave away runs at four per over in 19 overs. When asked during a virtual press conference where India went wrong after reducing England to 62-5, Yadav admitted their performance dipped.

"You can say that. The way we started our bowling - we took two wickets within the first 40 minutes. After that, I thought our performance dipped as we leaked around 40 runs in seven or eight overs."

The veteran stated that although the track offered nothing, the tourists also conceded runs and failed to maintain discipline. But the 33-year old lauded his side for coming back well after finding out where they went wrong.

"As a result, the batsman also returned to the flow and found a rhythm. With the ball not seaming or spinning, the batsmen will look to assert their authority. We also made mistakes as we failed to keep things tight after those two wickets, conceding too many runs in the middle phase. Otherwise, India came back strongly by understanding how to bowl."

Umesh Yadav confident of the Indian batsmen making a big score

Umesh Yadav also expressed optimism about the second innings because of the way the wicket is currently behaving. He also explained how the track has changed over time. Yadav thinks that as the batsmen are in good flow thus far, they are going to make the most of the conditions.

"Definitely. Because the way the wicket is playing, the first-day pitch had moisture, bounce, and the weather conditions were favourable. But as the match goes on, it all changes. I think when they batted and we bowled, the track changed. Also, as the partnership extends, you feel like the wicket has gone flat. But we think the way our batsmen are playing, they will do well and make a big score on this pitch."

India got through to the end of the day unscathed with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul sharing an unbroken stand of 43 in 16 overs. The tourists still trail by 56 runs and need one of the two openers make a big score. England, meanwhile, rode on contributions from Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes to lift themselves to 290.