Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai
The 2014 IPL saw the mother of all comebacks, from Kolkata Knight Riders. After a poor start, they won 10 matches on the spin to win the title. The record still stands. Umesh Yadav, who now plays for Gujarat Titans, was one of the heroes for KKR in that edition. The fast bowler still cherishes the memory of the triumph but becomes a tad hesitant when he is asked to reminisce.
“I’m now with a different franchise and the IPL is not over yet. Of course, it was a very fond memory, but beyond that, maybe I shouldn’t say anything more,” Umesh said, speaking to RevSportz.
He touched upon Gautam Gambhir’s leadership qualities also. “I made my IPL debut under him. He is a very good leader.” KKR won IPL titles under Gambhir’s captaincy. They have played brilliant cricket to reach the final this term under his mentorship.
Conversation moved to Gujarat Titans and their campaign this season. GT won the title in 2022 and finished as runner-up a year later. This year, however, they couldn’t get past the group stage. “I won’t say it was a bad season, but we could have done better in two-three matches. Sometimes we batted well but bowling wasn’t up to the mark. Sometimes it was the other way around. But we are a young team and we suffered a couple of washouts also. I won’t say finishing with 12 points was very bad. It was basically a matter of two-three matches,” Umesh said.
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“The matches against Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals were close. Especially against Delhi, we lost by four runs. If we would have won two of those three matches, we would have been in the playoffs. Cricket is a game of fine margins. But we have learnt from our mistakes, taken the positives and we will move on,” he added.
GT had a new captain this season and the tournament was a learning curve for Shubman Gill. He impressed his teammates, including a senior like Umesh. “He (Gill) has the ability. It was very impressive the way he controlled the team despite being so young. He stayed calm under pressure. He needs a bit of time, but I think Gill has the potential to do well as a captain on the bigger stage as well,” the fast bowler opined. “The big test for a captain is how he handles his team in tough phases. Gill showed stability.”
Umesh also spoke about the Impact Player Rule, something that has divided opinion. “I don’t think our opinion on this will matter much. There are two sides to it. The rule is not used in international cricket. But from an entertainment perspective, some people are of the view that it is giving an opportunity to an extra player and contributing to big totals. You have to think whether that is more important or you need to focus on producing good all-rounders.”
From a bowler’s point of view also, the rule is a little harsh. “That’s the way it is. In 50-over cricket, we have two new balls and the reverse swing has gone out of the equation. The white ball doesn’t swing after a couple of overs. You have only two fielders in the deep in Powerplay. Yes, things are getting tough for the bowlers,” said Umesh.
The club-versus-country debates remain, but there is hardly an international player out there that doesn’t want a taste of the IPL action. And it’s this mix of quality cricket and entertainment that has made the IPL brand unique. #IPL
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— RevSportz (@RevSportz) May 26, 2024