Umesh pitches it right on return from break
When you are in the middle of a good run, even full tosses, albeit ones bowled at a furious pace, fetch you wickets. Ask Umesh Yadav.
Yadav went for 10 in the first two balls of his final over but took three wickets in the next four. Two of them, David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha, came from deliveries that didn’t land. That over and Sunil Narine’s heavy artillery were crucial to the Knights’ easy win against Kings XI Punjab on Thursday.
“That too (the third ball) was a full toss but I think it reversed a bit. After getting hit in the first two deliveries, I felt that I had bowled two bad balls. But I also told myself that the game could change from here if I get my length right,” said Yadav.
Yadav began IPL 10 with an eight-ball over where he conceded 11. Not quite getting into the groove straightaway --expected since he was coming off a break --- but indication of how well he has been bowling were there all right. Yadav beat the bat once, got bounce and strayed only once down leg-side.
Crucially, on an Eden wicket of the kind that Kings XI Punjab pacer Ishant Sharma said is difficult to find in India, Yadav didn’t get carried away by the assistance on offer. He didn’t forget to praise it though. “It’s good that the CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) has laid out a wicket good for batsmen and bowlers,” said Yadav.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper Gautam Gambhir brought Yadav back in the sixth over and, managing to land a yorker and not erring in length, he went for four.
Back in the innings’ 12th over, Yadav dismissed Glenn Maxwell cramping the KXIP skipper for room. Wriddhiman Saha got a boundary off the last ball but it came off an edge. In three overs, Yadav had conceded 22 and got a wicket. And then came the 18th.
BANGAR’S ADVICE
“I am trying my best to carry on what I have done,” said Yadav. The inaccuracy of yore didn’t surface on Thursday and Yadav attributed that to playing regularly and working on the advice of India coaches Sanjay Bangar and Anil Kumble.
“The more you play, the better you become. Ek tappa set ho jaate hai (you get into the groove). Your line and length improves. My thinking too has improved as Sanjay bhai and Anil bhai have taught me when to think of taking wickets, when to bowl maidens. Also, earlier when I would want to bowl fast, I would run in fast too. Sanjay bhai told me by doing that I was missing my rhythm. He told me to enjoy running in, stay relaxed and then try to bowl fast. That worked,” said Yadav.
On Friday evening, KKR assistant coach Simon Katich also explained how Yadav’s become a better bowler. “The way he got Glenn Maxwell caught-behind was exactly what we had discussed. That sort of stuff does not go unnoticed by the coaching group. It comes with experience gained by playing consistently for India,” said Simon Katich.