The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw the likes of Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Mohsin Khan, and Yash Dayal among other fast-bowling talents rising to the occasion. It also saw the ‘re-emergence’ of some of the country’s established pacers and one of them was Umesh Yadav.

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Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Umesh claimed 16 wickets in 12 games at an economy of just above 7 (7.06). With this performance, he reassured his white-ball prowess while also touching the 140 kph mark regularly.

Although the 34-year-old is not a part of the limited-overs set-up, he is a part of India's Test team for the much-anticipated one-off Test against England at Edgbaston.

When asked how he plans to attain the 100-Test mark, Umesh stated he is taking it one step at a time and prioritizing fitness levels.

"It's difficult to say whether I will play for the next five years. I am just thinking about my small goals with each passing year. Now I am 33 (34)... when I turn 36, a lot will depend on how my body reacts. If I stay injury-free, my body continues running. Once you get injured, you have to think about the recovery process. As of now, I am just thinking about playing good cricket and playing many more Test matches for the country," he told Indranil Basu in a video shared on the SGTV YouTube channel.

"I am not sure about the 100th Test but I'll try to play as much as possible. Playing Tests has got a different kind of emotion. You make an impact if you say, 'I have played 70-80 Test matches for the country'. People think that you have got something, which has helped you achieve the milestone," he further added.

Spin legend Harbhajan Singh praised the KKR pacer’s splendid performance in the IPL 2022, saying that the Kolkata-based franchise gave the veteran speedster confidence to thrive.

Umesh Yadav has made a splendid comeback. Some players really benefit from being in the right team and with Umesh, it’s like he enjoyed playing for KKR. This team gave him that confidence. 

"This was the Umesh Yadav we knew of. He was swinging the ball at 145 kph just like the old days,” Harbhajan said on Sportskeeda.

(HT AND SPORTSKEEDA INPUTS)