Since Jasprit Bumrah’s emergence, Umesh Yadav has seldom been a regular in the Indian team. But whenever he’s called on, Umesh never lets the side down, and his numbers are up there with the greatest to have played the game.
Over the past half decade and more, as India have established themselves as a ruthless Test side on home turf, and a highly competent one away, a clutch of individuals have come to the fore. The batting of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and the now-discraded Ajinkya Rahane has won many plaudits, as have the performances of the spin twins, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – nearly unplayable in home conditions. Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and, later, Jasprit Bumrah ensured that no team would be comfortable on pace-friendly surfaces, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Shubman Gill have chipped in with valuable cameos.
When talking of this golden era, one name is often an afterthought. Umesh Yadav may have made his debut two years before Shami, in November 2011, but Shami has already played seven more Tests. While Shami has almost always been an automatic pick when fit, Umesh has tended to be treated more like a super sub or spare part, especially in recent times.
This has absolutely nothing to do with performances. When Australia were last in India, in 2017, Umesh was by far the most accomplished pace bowler on view on either side. His 17 wickets at an average of 23.41 were as many as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins combined. And the strike-rate of 45.5 was better than that of any bowler, pace or spin, that played more than one Test in that series.
But Umesh doesn’t have the raw pace of a Bumrah, or the enforcer aura of Siraj. When it comes to all-round skill with the ball, Shami is probably front of the pack. As a result, when India picked just two pacers in the XI, Umesh has often been the one to make way. Since Bumrah made his debut in South Africa in January 2018, he, Shami and Ishant have all played more matches than Umesh (19). Even Siraj, who made his debut only two years ago, has played nearly as much (18).
A lesser man might have lost heart and motivation at being sidelined constantly. But Umesh is no Ordinary Joe. On the contrary, there’s a case to be made that he’s up there with the greatest that India have had, especially in home conditions. Of the Indian quicks with more than 100 Test wickets, only Bumrah (48.9) and Shami (49.3) have a better strike-rate than Umesh’s 50.8, and the difference is marginal.
Of the five to have taken more than 100 scalps on Indian soil, an illustrious list led by Kapil Dev, no one comes close matching Umesh’s strike-rate of 46.1. You could argue that Kapil (strike-rate of 55.7) played his cricket on flatter pitches, but that’s offset by the fact that he bowled four overs more per innings in India (17) than Umesh has.
It’s also unfair to categorise Umesh as someone who is effective only in India. Umesh’s 69 wickets in the last five years, from those 19 Tests, have come at a strike-rate of 38.3. That’s better than any other Indian pacer, Shami and Bumrah included. His mastery of Indian conditions, however, was on full view on the second morning in Indore, when his short spell broke open the Australian innings, with the wicket of Cameron Green triggering a dramatic collapse.
If someone has a freeze frame of the Mitchell Starc dismissal, with the off stump cartwheeling all the way to wicketkeeper, they should frame it and present it to Umesh. It captures the essence of his bowling, and a spirit that has never flagged despite frequently being relegated to the bench. When this incredible chapter in Indian cricket history is assessed, the role he has played shouldn’t be forgotten. Test cricket needs its stars. But it also endures because of such unsung heroes.
[Pictures: Via BCCI]