India vs West Indies 2013: Umesh Yadav’s chance to get back into scheme of things

Umesh Yadav started his Test career against West Indies in 2011 and stands a chance of affirming his spot in the Indian team against the same opponent © AFP

Even as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) go overboard with their tributes and celebrations for Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series, it is imperative to note that these two Tests could give fast bowler Umesh Yadav a chance to get back into the scheme of things. Prakash Govindasreenivasan has more.

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The series has been rightly billed as the ‘Sachin Tendulkar farewell series’, for nothing else other than the retiring genius’ game and life on the wicket is being spoken about. Tributes are flying in, efforts are being made to make him appear much above the other mortals — something that is perceived of him when he gets down to batting. Having said that, Tendulkar himself was quoted saying that the focus needs to be on the entire side as there are 14 others in the squad.

One such squad member by the name Umesh Yadav could want to make use of the opportunity and do well enough to be on the plane to South Africa a few weeks later.

In the nine Tests he has played, Yadav has claimed 32 wickets and has done well in both home and abroad conditions. Like any other fast bowler in the country, injuries have been a stumbling roadblock in his growth.

Talking about his most recent return to action from injury, Yadav told Times of India, “It feels great to be back in action. I had a good rest after the tour of West Indies and I worked a lot on my fitness. Then, I played two First-Class matches. So my preparations for the series are good. It will be Sachin paaji’s last series so it’s great to be part of history.”
What Yadav could offer in South Africa

Among the current crop of bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the most impressive. In the recently concluded One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia where runs were too easy to come by and totals in excess of 300 were being scored for fun, Bhuvneshwar showed good discipline when compared to his fellow pacers and finished with a decent economy rate. His ability to maintain his line and length while bowling and give very little away to the batsman will be of paramount importance to India in South Africa. To complement that at the start of the innings, Yadav’s pace and ability to bounce out a batsman could come in handy.

In testing conditions of South Africa, a fully-fit Yadav could form a potent partnership with Bhuvneshwar. Beyond the searing pace, Yadav can bring his experience into play. That will go a long way in taking pressure off the young and fragile shoulders of Bhuvneshwar who can express himself better.

For Yadav to be in the reckoning for the tour of South Africa, his performances in the two Tests against the West Indies could be crucial. While the wickets could be typically tailor-made to suit the batsmen, Yadav will be raring to go and perform as well as he can to get noticed again.

Yadav got his first break in Test cricket in the home series against the West Indies in 2011. Two years later, he is staring at a possible and much-needed resurrection of his career against the same opposition at home again.

(Prakash Govindasreenivasan is a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @PrakashG_89)