Indian pacer Umesh Yadav celebrates his 32nd Birthday on Friday. Born on October 25, 1987, the right-arm bowler has been around the national team for quite a while and was also part of the Indian squad which recently thrashed South Africa. Yadav regularly bowls at a high pace and his ability to swing the ball makes him more lethal. The speedster can also exploit the old ball too as the reverse swing is one of the main weapons in his armoury. In his career, Yadav how bowler several fiery spells and we will be focusing on his best bowling performances. Umesh Yadav Joins Sachin Tendulkar to Achieve This Rare Feat During IND vs SA 3rd Test! Twitterati Lauds Indian Pacer For Smashing Five Sixes!
Yadav made his debut in 2010 and immediately burst into the scenes with his ability to bowl at a high pace. The pacer regularly bowls at over 140 kmph and has also clocked the 150 kmph mark on several occasions. To date, the right-arm quick has represented India in all three formats and continues to be a regular in the Indian Test team. Yadav has registered 130 wickets in 43 Tests while in ODIs, the bowler has 106 scalps in 75 outings. He has also taken nine wickets in seven T20Is. Talking about Yafav's performance with the ball, let's look at five mind-boggling spells bowled by the Indian speedster.
4/31 Against Bangladesh in Melbourne
The pacer bowled a splendid spell in the all-important quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup and sealed the game for the Men in Blue. On a pitch where the Indian batsmen piled up 302 runs, Yadav went through the Bangladeshi batting order and took wickets at regular intervals. Along with that, the speedster dried up the run flow too as he gave just 32 runs in his nine overs. As a result, Bangladesh were bundled out for 193 runs and lost the match by 109 runs.
5/93 Against Australia in Perth
India's outing in the 2011-12 Tour of Australia might have been a poor one but Umesh Yadav tasted great success down under. In the third Test, the right-arm pacer bowled with hostility dismissed the likes of Ricky Ponting and Shaun Marsh. In the process, Yadav also bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in Test. However, India failed to put up a fight with the bat and lost the match by an innings and 37 runs.
6/88 & 4/85 Against West Indies in Hyderabad
The pacer bowled not one but two sensational spells in the second Test of West Indies' 2018 Tour of India. With Shardul Thakur sustaining an injury in the second over of the match, Yadav was India's lone pacer in the Test but never let the opposition feel so. The pacer took six wickets in West Indies' first innings and followed it up by a four-wicket haul in the second one. Yadav's 10-wicket haul proved to be crucial as India won the match by 10 wickets and clinched the series 2-0.
4/53 Against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
Umesh Yadav was at his premium best in the fourth ODI of Sri Lanka's 2014 Tour of India. The latter made the ideal use of the new ball and dented the Lankan top-order. The pacer bowled magnificently in the death too and played a crucial role in restricting Sri Lanka to 242 in the first innings. The chase proved to be a cakewalk for the hosts as they registered a six-wicket victory.
4/41 Against West Indies in Antigua
Yadav's other brilliance came in the first Test of India's 2016 Tour of West Indies. On a wicket, where Indian batsmen plundered 566 runs, the pacer went rattled the hosts and took four wickets in their first innings. As a result, West got packed for 243 in their first innings and another dismal performance in their second innings led them to an innings and 92 runs defeat.
Yadav, who played a crucial role in India's recent 3-0 Test series victory against South Africa, will be expected to continue his good form and help India maintain their dominance in the longest format. The relevance of Test increased ever since the introduction of World Test Championships and Yadav will certainly have to come good in order to guide India to the title.