The Indian star responds to critics of his T20I pick!
The Indian star responds to critics of his T20I pick! This week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chose a veteran cricketer for the upcoming home series against Australia, which starts on Tuesday in Mohali. This left fans and experts puzzled. Mohammed Shami was set to return to the T20I team before the T20 World Cup, where he had been named to the reserves. However, the star pacer tested positive for Covid-19, which meant he couldn’t play in the series. So Umesh Yadav, who hasn’t played in a T20I in more than three years, was chosen by BCCI to replace him. Naturally, this made people raise their eyebrows. But after being picked for India, the star hit back at those who didn’t like it.
Umesh has only played seven Twenty20 Internationals for India since his first one in 2012. His last one was in 2019, also against Australia at home. So, he played less white-ball cricket and only made two appearances in the 2020 IPL season. He didn’t play at all in the following season.
Umesh’s response to critics
Umesh told journalist Vimal Kumar after he was chosen that he was doing well in the nets. He said no one knew about it because he didn’t get many chances to show it in white-ball cricket. He also said that people knew how valuable he was when he joined KKR before the IPL 2022 season and made it a season to remember.
“I did not play any white-ball cricket after playing for RCB in IPL 2020. I was doing well, practicing well, but I did not get the chance. Uske pehle kisiko pata hi nehi tha (No one was aware of how I was doing in the nets). Everyone got to see how well I was doing when I got a chance with KKR in IPL 2022. People got to understand that I was not just relaxing in the off season,” he said.
Umesh’s play
Umesh wasn’t bought in the first round of this year’s IPL mega auction, but KKR bought him in the second round for INR 2 crore. He proved them right by doing amazing things with the ball, especially during the powerplay. By the end of the season, he had taken 16 wickets in 12 games.
Umesh’s run for Middlesex continued in the Royal London Cup. He took 16 wickets in seven games, including a five-wicket haul.“You could say that I was lucky, because not many matches were happening in India because of the rain, so got lucky with the Middlesex offer. I knew that only practicing and not playing any matches won’t amount to anything. When you play, your body remains in that environment, your muscles stay loose and you are more agile. I was enjoying my county stint, the weather in England is good,” he added.