"Every wicket is important" - Umesh Yadav weighs in on Joe Root's wicket
Team India fast bowler Umesh Yadav has weighed in on England captain Joe Root's dismissal, saying that every wicket is important for a fast bowler.
Root has so far looked invincible in this series, hitting three consecutive centuries. However, Umesh Yadav, who is playing his first Test of the series, produced a ripper to rattle Joe Root's wicket.
While the wicket has earned Umesh a lot of praise from the cricketing fraternity, the 48 Tests veteran seemed unperturbed. Addressing a virtual press conference at the end of day 2's play, Umesh Yadav said:
"This is a very common question I face whenever I get a big wicket. As a fast bowler wickets are important for me be it Joe Root or Robinson. So, I think as a fast bowler picking up a wicket is more important be it any player. That is it for me."
The Umesh Yadav delivery, which cut Joe Root into two halves, was the ball of the series so far, putting India right back in the game at the fag end of day 1. The veteran fast bowler backed it up with another two wickets in the first 30 minutes of day 2 but Ollie Pope (81) steered England to a crucial lead before Chris Woakes extended it with a timely half-century.
"Physios ensure we are in rhythm by making us work hard" - Umesh Yadav
Amid the glaring presence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, and the rise of Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav has found it difficult to break into the playing XI. He returns to playing XI for the first time since the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Throwing light on how difficult it is to keep up the rhythm while warming the benches, Umesh Yadav stated that he has been continuously working hard in the nets.
"You will always be a part of the team and you are always practising or training in the nets so the rhythm is always there. Moreover the trainers and physios know that you might get an opportunity anytime so they make sure to keep you in that particular zone always by making you work hard and ensure you are in the rhythm. We know that we are here to represent the nation and hence ensuring that we give our best shot as a team is very important," Umesh Yadav added.
Meanwhile, India ended the day at 43/0 with openers Rohit Sharma (20) and KL Rahul (22) still at the crease. Currently, they trail by 56 runs in reply to England's 99 run lead in the first innings of the Oval Test.