Umesh Yadav thanks Zaheer Khan for his success

Umesh Yadav has led by example in recent times and has been a tough nut to crack for all batsmen. The bowler was in his most dominant form throughout the home season and has been India’s best bowler without a shade of doubt.

Even after moving away from home to the lethargic tracks of the Caribbean, Umesh Yadav has maintained his stellar form perfectly. Injuries came as an obstacle in his career but the stout bowler has still found his way and continues to do so, thanks to an advice from the legendary Zaheer Khan.

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Ahead of the 5^th and final ODI of the series against the West Indies, Umesh Yadav has revealed that Zaheer Khan asked him to take the mistakes a lesson and try to figure out the positives. Zaheer Khan, whose contribution to Indian cricket has been immense, also told him to never back down or slow his pace.

“I’m constantly learning from mistakes. You make mistakes as a youngster. But Zaheer bhai said one thing. When you are a junior and a newcomer in the team, the faster you learn about your mistakes, the better it will be for you… The faster you will learn. That’s what I try and do,” Yadav told BCCI TV.

“I sit and think about the mistakes I’ve made. Then I try and implement them in the next match. There are positives and negatives. I try and focus more on positive points… figure out what the strong and weak points are. That is what’s important as a fast bowler.”

Indian bowlers have always been below the 140 kph mark except a few. Umesh Yadav is one of the few exceptions in Indian cricket who can consistently pitch the ball over the 140 mark and can even cross 150! His pace has been a crucial factor in his success and the bowler does not want to compromise on that. Having said that the 29 year also intends to work on his accuracy and swing the ball along with his speed.

“It’s because of speed that I’m here. Pace was my weapon, it’s given me recognition… Now, I’m trying to balance swing and the length with the pace. That will be helpful,” he said.