India vs South Africa: Umesh Yadav’s time to reap ‘away’ rewards after arduous home season

Fast, strong, tireless, and blessed with a happy knack of breaking partnerships, Umesh Yadav is the workhorse bred on the rigours of bowling on unresponsive Indian dustbowls. Son of a coal miner who took up cricket rather late — at the age of 19 – Umesh has, over the past season, established himself as one of the key pacers of the Indian Test team. Apart from his obvious speed, what really stands out is his attitude. Never one to shy away from bowling, Umesh can produce quick, long, incisive spells that not only allow spinners a breather, but also create wicket-taking opportunities with his ability to reverse the ball at good pace. He is one of the few bowlers in India who are equally good with the new and old ball, and are comfortable opening the attack or bowling first-change. Umesh, who once wanted to be a policeman, is also a supreme athlete — a trait that makes him an excellent outfielder. Couple it with his reliable catching skills and the naturally strong fast bowler’s arm, and his worth in the team that rates fitness as highly as fundamental cricketing skills increases manifold. He has toured South Africa twice – in 2010-11 and 2013-14 – but failed to make it to the playing XI on either outing. This time though, his selection in at least one, if not two of the three Tests looks imminent, going by his form over the past season. Umesh took the field in 12 of the 13 Tests that India played at home last season — an ode to his fitness and form. His 41 wickets, in a season dominated by the beguiling spin of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, established his credentials as a genuine wicket-taker. Throughout that home season, he kept chipping away, providing vital breakthroughs, but evidently saved his best for the last. In the last Test of India’s gruelling summer, Umesh, as if keen on making a defining and lasting final impression, conjured up a memorable spell on the third day of the Dharamsala Test against Australia. Though he prised out only two wickets — David Warner and Matt Renshaw — it was his approach that was heartening to see. He ran in with pace and purpose, and pushed the Aussie top-order on the back foot with a barrage of short-pitch bowling, a like-for-like retribution for Pat Cummins’s burst earlier in the day. Umesh finished that series with enhanced reputation and a haul of 17 wickets, the most among fast bowlers on either side. Since then, he has taken the field in five of the six Tests that India have played, picking wickets in each of those matches. He ended 2017 with 31 Test wickets, the most by any Indian pacer in the year, and seventh-highest among all fast men. [caption id=“attachment_4275709” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Umesh is equally good with old and new ball, and is comfortable opening the attack or bowling first-change. Reuters[/caption] The template though, was set two years back in the biting December cold of Delhi. It was the last Test of South Africa’s tour of India, and the hosts needed five wickets in the final session for a clean sweep. With the Proteas having embarked on an epic blockathon on a dead Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, Umesh’s searing pace through the air rendered the track incidental. With a clever mix of conventional and reverse swing, he sent the visitors hurtling towards a 337-run pounding. His final spell read 6-6-0-3. Umesh’s performance is quite impressive outside the subcontinent too. In the nine Tests that he has played in Australia and the West Indies, he has snared 30 wickets, 25 of them being in Australia. With the South African wickets being generally similar to those Down Under, Umesh would be itching for an encore. His slingy action makes the outswinger his stock delivery, and he does possess a mean bouncer. The only flipside is his propensity to leak runs. For a frontline pacer, he bowls far too many loose balls that release the pressure built by the spinners. However, when in rhythm, he is a sight to behold. And if he can conjure a performance similar to the Kotla masterclass, India could be in for something special. Click here to read profiles of other Indian players involved in the India-South Africa Test series. Click here for the full schedule, when and where to watch the matches, live coverage on TV, online streaming.