Former Team India bowling coach Bharat Arun opened up about the unfortunate scenario where the senior pacer Umesh Yadav is forced to warm the bench despite doing a brilliant job with the ball in the longest format of the game—Test cricket.
He further went on to reveal that the right-arm pacer used to get angry after being dropped from the playing XI, and he often even questioned his omission in disappointment.
Notably, Umesh, who has so far taken 168 wickets in 55 Test matches for India, hasn't been able to cement his spot in the playing XI, and played only three Test matches in 2021, three Tests in 2022, and one Test in 2023 so far – at Indore against Australia.
However, the veteran pacer is likely to retain his spot for the 4th Test against Australia, which will be played in Ahmedabad from March 9, 2023. Well ahead of the Ahmedabad Test, Arun revealed that Umesh would not speak to him after losing his spot in India’s playing XI.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Bharat Arun said: “There are many instances when Umesh was disappointed not being part of the team, especially after doing very well. But I had a lot of explaining because he approached me and asked, 'Why have you dropped me? What wrong did I do?'”
He continued, “It was a very tough call because there are only that many fast bowlers you could play in terms of what they had done and their form, especially when Shami, Bumrah and Ishant were the fast bowlers with Hardik Pandya to chip in as the fourth fast bowler back when he was playing Test cricket. Umesh was bowling beautifully but was consistently being dropped.”
Arun signed off by saying, “Sometimes he would get so angry that he would not speak to me for a day, but then he would come to me and say I understand. Even when I speak to him, I say, 'If you are not angry, there is something wrong with you. If it doesn't happen, you are accepting things meekly.' Umesh was magnificent and a perfect team man you would want to have on your side.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
