Team India's senior pacer Umesh Yadav has managed to keep his place in the national Test team. However, the experienced right-arm speedster has failed to fix his spot in the playing XI. India's pace bowling attack is led by Jasprit Bumrah, while Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are picked ahead of Umesh in India XI in red-ball format -- reason why he's often dropped from the playing XI. Umesh played his first and only Test match of 2023 after being named as Mohammed Shami's replacement in the recently-concluded Ind vs Aus 3rd Test in Indore. He played three Tests for India in 2021 and three Tests in 2022. For sure, it'll be a delight for his fans to see him rattle Aussie batters with his sheer pace, line and length in the crucial Ind vs Aus 4th Test in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
In an exclusive interaction with Cricbuzz, ex-India bowling coach Bharat Arun revealed how an angry Umesh used to react after not being picked in the playing XI.
Bharat Arun revealed that Umesh would not speak to him for a day after not being picked in India XI.
"There are many instances when Umesh was disappointed not being part of the team, especially after doing very well. But I had a lot of explaining because he approached me and asked, 'Why have you dropped me? What wrong did I do?' It was a very tough call because there are only that many fast bowlers you could play in terms of what they had done and their form, especially when Shami, Bumrah and Ishant were the fast bowlers with Hardik Pandya to chip in as the fourth fast bowler back when he was playing Test cricket. Umesh was bowling beautifully but was consistently being dropped," Arun told Cricbuzz.
"Sometimes he would get so angry that he would not speak to me for a day, but then he would come to me and say I understand. Even when I speak to him, I say, 'If you are not angry, there is something wrong with you. If it doesn't happen, you are accepting things meekly.' Umesh was magnificent and a perfect team man you would want to have on your side."