Umesh Yadav: A bowler who has trademarked the comeback

England captain Joe Root looks back as Umesh Yadav’s in-swinging delivery clips his off-stump in the Oval Test on 2 Sept. ’21. (Image credit: AFP)

It was arguably the finest dismissal of the English summer of ’21 – a ball that was as alluring in its trajectory as it was diabolical in its intent.

It first swung, gathered more venom by hitting the seam and darted in viciously, breaching the defence of the most prolific batsman of the year, Joe Root, with its sheer pace. The ball had such elegance, crashing into the stumps seemed too crass an option, instead it chose to clip the top of the off stump. While Root, dismissed for 21, looked back in sheer disbelief, the usually restrained Umesh Yadav broke into a fittingly elaborate airborne celebration.

"I was surprised myself at the extent to which the ball kept moving. It was a special delivery and everyone in the team was surprised by how much it swung. It felt great because it was my first wicket of the match and that too of Root, who had already scored three centuries in the last three Tests," said the reticent fast bowler, Yadav, in an exclusive interview with News9 Sports.

The secret of swing is yet to be completely fathomed by the principles of physics, however, what was evident by the ball's delicious trajectory was the endless hours of training that goes behind producing such a perfect delivery.

"It just happened but I knew it will happen sometime for I was practising that delivery in the nets. I was trying to bowl with a tilted seam so that the ball pitches on its seam and jags back into the batsman. It had worked a few times in the nets," explained Yadav after much probing.

Umesh Yadav breaks into celebration after dismissing English captain Joe Root in the first innings of the Oval Test. (Image credit: AFP)

Fleeting opportunities

It's achingly ironical that The Oval Test was Yadav's first after a gap of 9 months. And it doesn't stop there – it was only his 8th Test in last two years despite having picked 35 wickets at an astonishing average of 19.25 and strike rate of 33.8 during the period. India played 20 Test matches during the period.

A strained calf muscle during the MCG Test, last Dec, did set him back but since then India have played 11 Tests and he got his opportunity only in the last one. The vagaries of life and Test cricket hasn't quite eaten into his passion for the game.

"Travelling with the team itself inspires me. I get a chance to bowl against some of the best batsmen in the world at the nets and that keeps me hungry. It motivates me to keep going, keep improving, so that when the chance comes, I can deliver for my team," said Yadav with a nonchalance of a seasoned cricketer.

India was 1-1, going into The Oval Test and the fast bowlers were tiring out. Yadav had sensed his opportunity. "I was told soon after the third game that I'd play in the next Test. I was training my body and mind for it. The night before the Oval Test, I kept myself relaxed by following my routine of eating and sleeping on time. Just before I slept, I mentally visualised what I wanted to do and how to execute it in the match. I wanted to consistently bowl 4-6 metre length and on the fourth stump line," revealed Yadav.

Yadav tormented English batsmen with his pace, swing, and consistency. Nine overs after sending back the English captain, he struck again with a classic left-hander dismissal. After being warned by the umpire, Yadav chose to bowl round the wicket. The ball with the scrambled seam came with the arm and then held its line after pitching, opening up Malan completely and in the process found the edge, which was snapped splendidly by Rohit Sharma in the second slip.

"I was planning to bowl away from his body. I bowled him couple of outswing deliveries and then tried this ball with a scrambled seam. It had a good shape and it worked," said Yadav on his plan to outwit Malan, who was batting well on 31 until then.

Yadav went on to finish the match as team's highest wicket-taker with 6 for 137.

Bumrah spectacle

Day 5, post-lunch session was a spectacular exhibition of reverse swing bowling and there was only one protagonist – Jasprit Bumrah. In two overs, he produced two reverse swinging deliveries with blinding pace to castle Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow in quick succession. It was a force of nature, leaving the English team devastated in its wake.

Jasprit Bumrah celebrating with his teammates Ollie Pope’s wicket on the last day of the Oval Test. (Image credit: AFP)

"It was a special spell from Bumrah. We had to take wickets early into the post-lunch session and close the game. Bumrah is known for breaking partnerships. When we saw him take Pope's wicket with that reverse swing, we knew the second wicket is also coming soon for he is known to take wickets in quick succession," recalled Yadav of his partner's magnificent effort.

Later, Yadav took the new ball to polish off the tail by taking the last 3 wickets to give India an historic victory at Oval, which came after 50 long years.

Miraculous fightback

The Nagpur-based speedster, Yadav, was involved in another iconic Test – the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. After a resounding drubbing in the Adelaide Test, where India was shot down for an abysmal 36, the team had reached the iconic venue for the second Test. The Indian dressing room was picking up the pieces. The defeat was humiliating but inexplicably the belief still hadn't left the team.

"We were feeling bad, but we knew our bench strength was good enough and it can fight back. Australia was hoping that our batting would collapse again. But we saw it as our chance to prove. We had to show that the team still had confidence," Yadav shared the prevailing sentiment of the dressing room back then.

After demolishing the Aussies for a lowly 195, Ajinkya played one of the finest rise-from-dead innings of all time. A fighting 112 brought India back into the match and later into the series.

Ajinkya Rahane acknowledging crowd’s applause after scoring a century in the MCG Test in December, 2020. (Image credit: AFP)

"Ajinkya's knock completely changed the mindset of the entire team. The dressing room was suddenly full of positivity and every member was inspired to contribute to the team's cause," Yadav fondly reminisced.

India had gone on to crush the Aussies with 8-wicket victory at the MCG – a triumph that will go into the history books as one of its most spectacular Test victories.

Riding on the success of The Oval Test, Yadav is hungry for more. This time in the shorter form of the game – world's premier T20 league, IPL. "I'm taking it as a challenge. I have to prove to myself that I have the ability to succeed in white-ball cricket."

Champion athletes thrive on challenge. Yadav has found his.

(This article first appeared in News9 Sports)