Be it Root or Robinson, every wicket is important for me: Umesh Yadav
Sep 04, 2021
London [UK], September 4 : India pacer Umesh Yadav, who dismissed England skipper Joe Root in the ongoing fourth Test, isn't concerned about "big" names and is only focused on taking wickets.
Root has been in sublime form but he was dismissed by Umesh on Thursday. The India pacer then removed Craig Overton and Dawid Malan on Friday.
"This is a very common question I face whenever I get a big wicket. As a fast bowler wickets are important for me be it Joe Root or Robinson. So, I think as a fast bowler picking up a wicket is more important be it any player. That is it for me," said Umesh at a virtual press conference after the end of the second day's play.
India picked three wickets on Thursday to keep England at bay but the hosts made a comeback on the second day as they posted 290 in the first innings.
"The way we started our bowling - we took two wickets within the first 40 minutes. After that, I thought our performance dipped as we leaked around 40 runs in seven or eight overs," said Umesh.
"As a result, the batsman also returned to the flow and found a rhythm. With the ball not seaming or spinning, the batsmen will look to assert their authority."
"We also made mistakes as we failed to keep things tight after those two wickets, conceding too many runs in the middle phase. Otherwise, India came back strongly by understanding how to bowl," he added.
After bundling out England, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul took India to stumps at 43/0. The visitors are still trailing by 56 runs.
Umesh is confident that India batsmen will put up a big total in the second innings.
"The way the wicket is playing, the first-day pitch had moisture, bounce, and the weather conditions were favourable," said Umesh.
"But as the match goes on, it all changes. I think when they batted and we bowled, the track changed. Also, as the partnership extends, you feel like the wicket has gone flat.
"But we think the way our batsmen are playing, they will do well and make a big score on this pitch," he signed off.
