Umesh’s ODI, T20 future in balance
BENGALURU:CHETAN Sharma might consider him lucky that he didn’t bowl that forgettable delivery to Javed Miandad in today’s times. Despite his name popping up every time India go on to lose a match owing to a bad final over, he at least did not have to deal with online trolls, memes, and expert opinions that can make or break a player’s morale in one go.
Umesh Yadav, who failed to defend 14 runs off the last over as Australia clinched a nail-biting tie at Vishakhapatnam on Sunday, has been the subject of public backlash ever since and is unlikely to get the nod for the second T20. Given that he isn’t part of the fivematch ODI series, it might be a tad unfair to not give a player who picked 23 wickets in three matches in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy, including his first-class best of 7/48, enough opportunities to cement his place in the side.
On a pitch that clearly assisted spin and was holding up a bit, Umesh perhaps wasn’t the right choice for bowling the last over. But then, such was the playing XI that it had three wicket-keepers but not a single part-timer to fill in the gaps and help preserve the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya for the death, leaving Bumrah to finish the job in the final over.
Bumrah, by far India’s best bet, did bring the side back into the game with a stellar 19th over. That Bumrah picked two wickets in as many balls to leave two new entrants at the crease should have helped Umesh’s cause but unfortunately it didn’t.
Against a bowler who regularly clocks over 140kmph, the opposition who were just looking to put bat to ball, was always going to have it easy. There was no deep extra cover, the square-leg fielder was too wide to
cut off the first boundary and with two runs required, there was no added pressure by increasing players inside the circle. While none are parameters that would guarantee a different result, but perhaps it isn’t just Umesh who should cop the blame for the loss. After all, his two overs in the middle not only cost just eight runs, they also included the wicket of Peter Handscomb.
With seam-friendly conditions expected in England, it’s likely that the management is looking to narrow the selection down to four seamers for the World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd Shami seem to have booked their spots.
As impressive as he has been in red-ball cricket, Umesh has somehow failed to replicate success in limited-overs formats. Last year, he featured in only four ODIS and five T20 Internationals but failed to pick more than two wickets in any of those matches. With his form not helping, Umesh also has to keep in mind that the management is looking for a leftarm seamer to add variety. While Barinder Sran and Jaydev Unadkat have failed to impress, Khaleel Ahmed seems to have found a footing though he is yet to take the world by storm.