"Playing for India was an expensive dream for someone who lived in coal mines" - Umesh Yadav shares heartfelt story of his India dream
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Umesh Yadav is currently enjoying a sensational time in white-ball cricket. He is also a regular in India's Test setup and has been one of India's most dependable bowlers for quite a few years.
However, success hasn't come easy for the 34-year-old. Speaking in a video posted by KKR on YouTube, Yadav opened up about his humble background and how hard it was for him to make his dream of playing for India come true. Here's what he had to say:
"From where I belong, there will be very few boys who believe that they could play for India. Playing and dreaming about cricket was expensive for them. Kit, bat, pad, shoes, etc. you just can't do it because you live in coal mines, your father goes to coal mines and does hard work. At that time I had never thought I would play for India as it was beyond my imagination."
Check out the IPL orange cap 2022 here.
Umesh Yadav on people labeling him as a non-white-ball specialist
Umesh Yadav also spoke about his best time for India in white-ball cricket, which was during the 2015 World Cup. Yadav was instrumental in India making it to the semifinals of the tournament and was the highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue, with 18 scalps to his name.
Yadav recalled:
"After we won the title (with KKR) in 2014, the next big moment for me was the 2015 World Cup. The kind of wickets that I got, I was the highest wicket-taker for India. So the real journey in white-ball cricket started from there."
of the #TATAIPL 2022, @ishankishan51 is donning the @aramco Orange Cap while @y_umesh is donning the @aramco Purple Cap. 
After Match 1⃣0⃣ of the #TATAIPL 2022, @ishankishan51 is donning the @aramco Orange Cap while @y_umesh is donning the @aramco Purple Cap. 👏 👏 https://t.co/TBAcrGFR1U
Umesh Yadav also shed light on how he coped with a tough time in his career where he was left out of India's white-ball plans despite having a sensational 2015 World Cup. He added:
"I feel bad when there was a downfall in my career and when I was in and out of the Indian white-ball team. People labeled me as someone who is not a white-ball bowler. I felt bad that how so much changed suddenly, at one point I was India's leading wicket-taker of 2015 World Cup. But it's okay, it's life, it goes on."
In the absence of Pat Cummins, Yadav has been brilliant for KKR so far in the IPL 2022 season, picking up eight wickets from three games and is the current holder of the IPL Purple Cap.