Umesh’s plan, bowl maidens
Antigua, July 24: Fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who took four wickets in the first innings to help India enforce the followon, said considering the slow nature of the pitch, bowling as many maiden overs as possible was their plan to create pressure on the West Indies’ batsmen.
West Indies were bowled out for 243 in their first innings in response to India’s 566 for eight declared and then were asked to follow-on. At stumps on the third day of the first Test, the hosts finished at 21 for 1.
Incidentally, of the 103.2 overs India has bowled to West Indies so far in the Antigua Test, 34 have been maidens.
“It is all about planning. Before the game we planned about bowling as many maiden overs as possible and frustrate the batsmen. We didn’t want to give them easy runs and we stuck to our plan, and the results came,” Yadav said at the post day’s press conference on Saturday night.
“On such wickets a lot of hard work is needed and you need to hold on to half chances. If we don’t, then wickets won’t come and it would be difficult to take 20 wickets,” he added. — PTI