‘I cannot select myself’ – Umesh Yadav aged 37 looks for return to international cricket after two years

Veteran Indian pacer Umesh Yadav is seeking to make his return to the side after over two years. The right-arm seamer turns 38 this October and last played for India in the World Test Championship finals against Australia in 2023. In fact, Yadav hasn’t played cricket since late last year after his two games for Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy tournament. 

Speaking to Sports Tak, the veteran pacer said that he still hopes to play for the national side. “Efforts to make a comeback are complete. I cannot select myself. I will have to play some matches and get fit. To come back, I will have to play competitive cricket. My effort is to get fit and come back in the team," said Umesh Yadav. 

In his chat with Sports Tak, the veteran seamer also said, “When I started playing cricket, I never thought that I would play this, I would play that, I would play for India. I am a natural fast bowler. I have been bowling fast since childhood. I never went to any academy or nets. That is why I never thought that I would play for India.”

“I kept on playing. Someone told me to play this; someone told me to play that. While playing, the son of a coal miner is sitting here playing for India. I think some things that are meant to happen happen. I always say that fast bowlers are natural; you cannot make them fast bowlers," the 37-year-old added.

Umesh Yadav’s Test career so far

At a time when the Indian cricket team were on the lookout for successors to Zaheer Khan, in 2011 Umesh Yadav made his Test debut at home. With the ability to bowl above 150 KPH, Yadav was seen as a long-term investment along with Varun Aaron. While Aaron didn’t have a long career, Yadav became one of the key bowlers for India across all formats. Till now, Yadav has played 57 games and taken 170 Test wickets with three fifers and one ten-wicket haul. 

In his debut series, Yadav picked nine wickets from two games against the West Indies and soon found himself in the side for the Australian tour. The right-arm seamer bowled well to pick his first fifer in Test cricket at the old WACA stadium in Perth during the 2011/12 tour. Under MS Dhoni, the right-arm seamer failed to get much game time in the Test format. 

Virat Kohli then gave Yadav the chance to seal his place in the Test side and the seamer did well to the faith reposed on him. From 2015 to 2019, Yadav picked 100 wickets in 34 matches, with his best figures of 6/88 coming in the home test against West Indies in 2018. In his last Test, which came in 2023, Yadav picked two wickets in the WTC finals and ended the year with a total of five wickets. His best of 3/12 came in the Indore Test against Australia early in 2023.