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In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Umesh Yadav – a pacer hailing from Kamptee in the Nagpur district, had made quite an impression in the Indian domestic landscape.
At that juncture, not many bowlers could consistently operate at speeds in excess of 140kmph. Umesh, though, was the refreshing anomaly and coupled with his ability to extract swing, was understandably looked upon as the torch-bearer of India’s “new” bowling attack – an attack that could bank on pace.
Immediately, Umesh’s sensational spell against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 2008-09 – a game where he towered over the likes of Pankaj Singh, RP Singh and Praveen Kumar (who didn’t play the game) and also dismissed Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, springs to mind.
That afternoon at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium remains perhaps the greatest representation of Umesh, for he bowled at searing pace and also generated movement off a relatively docile surface.
A few years later, another whirlwind spell, this time against Australia in the warm-up game prior to the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, drew collective gasps from those around the country.
To an extent, these displays, combined with his excellent showings, especially in home Tests, have meant that Umesh has largely lived up to his billing. Having represented India in 130 international matches, including 75 ODIs and 48 Tests, it is pretty hard to argue otherwise as well.
More recently, though, the pacer has endured a slightly sticky patch. Not just because he has been plagued by injuries, but also because there have been other fast bowlers who have leapfrogged him in the pecking order.
And, as things stand, there isn’t a lot to suggest that Umesh will enjoy his time in the English sun this summer. Yet, there might be a few reasons why it would be prudent for India to not overlook him altogether. Or, in simpler terms, why Umesh, even in the final stretch of his international career, could still have a defining say against England.
At the start of his career, Umesh was always dubbed an erratic fast bowler but one capable of flashes of brilliance. As the years have passed, the pacer hasn’t completely overcome the erraticism. However, he has matured into a much better bowler – one showcasing a lot more control and tactical nous than he did at the beginning.
Unfortunately, in recent years, he hasn’t been able to get the opportunities that his talent has warranted. In blunter terms, he has just not played enough games for India to establish a foothold in the Test team.
Umesh Yadav has not had a decent run of games since 2017
To place things into context, Umesh hasn’t enjoyed a run of games in the side. Quite often, he has been the bowler Virat Kohli has dropped when looking at other alternatives, which for a pacer of Umesh’s ilk is hardly ideal.
Since November 2017, the seamer has not played more than two consecutive Test matches, despite boasting fairly decent numbers. The last time he did so was against Sri Lanka, post which Umesh, rather remarkably, has also collected his best match figures ever in Test cricket (against the West Indies at Hyderabad).
Though a lot of other bowlers have tided over uncertainty at different stages in their career, Umesh is someone who needs an arm around his shoulder and someone who needs to be given confidence – something that hasn’t always happened since 2017.
In fact, when compared to other fast bowling stalwarts, namely Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, Umesh holds his own, as far as statistics are concerned.
While Ishant has averaged 22.51 since the start of 2017 and has largely been labelled as one of India’s indispensable components, Umesh boasts an average (23.41) that is just a shade more than what Ishant has mustered. Interestingly, Shami has a worse average than Umesh (24.02 as compared to 23.41).
Of the aforementioned troika, Umesh, rather remarkably, has the best strike rate (42), meaning that he still represents a bona fide wicket-taker and one capable of rattling the opposition at any stage.
Moreover, when his numbers are pitted against Jasprit Bumrah since the start of 2019, Umesh comes out as an outright winner, possessing an exceptional average (18.55 compared to Bumrah’s 26.22). The discrepancy in the strike rate, on the other hand, is quite enormous, for Umesh takes a wicket every 33.1 balls, whereas Bumrah does so after every 57.6 balls.
Thus, a case could be made that Umesh hasn’t been given the adequate number of opportunities under Kohli’s stewardship, which can be attributed to a number of factors.
At the same time, Umesh – the white-ball bowler has fallen off a cliff, especially during his stint at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, while he has also endured his fair share of injuries.
Yet, for a captain such as Kohli, who, in Mohammed Kaif’s words, doesn’t quite bestow “clarity” upon his team but still picks the “most in-form” player, it is perplexing that Umesh, who has a pretty respectable recent record, hasn’t played more often.
Apart from that, Umesh also has to correct his questionable record overseas, which at present, has a massive differential when compared to his home record. At home, the pacer averages 24.54, taking a wicket every 45.7 balls. Away from home, though, the average shoots up to 41.65, whereas his strike rate of 62.1 is also pretty ordinary.
However, if the warm-up fixture against the County Select XI is to be used as a marker, Umesh could be en route to altering those numbers. Against the hosts, the pacer looked a class above the rest as he bowled probing lines and lengths throughout his innings.
Umesh also accounted for three batters, with his dismissal of opposition skipper Will Rhodes standing out. Not only did the Delhi Capitals seamer send the off-stump cartwheeling, he did so from around the wicket, meaning that he can be a handful for Ben Stokes, Rory Burns and Sam Curran in the series against England.
Furthermore, Umesh bowled with immaculate control – an aspect that he hasn’t been renowned for historically. On this occasion, he rarely gave away any loose deliveries and always kept the batters guessing, especially with the seam and swing movement he was able to extract.
Most tellingly, though, Umesh seems to have meandered towards a crossroad in his career – a crossroad where he knows he must perform to sustain his international career, which lest one forgets, has spanned more than 10 years.
With him not in the white-ball scheme of things, there would also be a hint of desperation, for this series in England could define how the final phase of his Test sojourn unfolds.
And, considering everything that Umesh has been through, whether it be injuries or defying the odds to represent the nation, he might still be chomping at the bit to mount one final assault to remind the world what he remains capable of.
And, of course, provide further evidence that he remains worthy of the hype he generated all those years ago.
However, with the way things have transpired for Umesh lately, that is hardly a given. Not just because bowlers such as Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur have (deservedly or not) overtaken him, but also because there seems to be a slight lack of trust between the pacer, the captain and the team management.
Unfortunately, that has meant that Umesh has become the forgotten man in India’s Test setup, which considering the ripples he created at the start of the previous decade and how he has long been earmarked for success, smacks of irony.
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