'I am 33 now': Umesh Yadav reveals how long he can 'pull' his body while playing for Team India

The Nagpur-born pacer has played 48 Tests over the span of nine years and his game-time has been affected by frequent injuries.

India fast bowler Umesh Yadav believes he can go on for a couple of years more as he aims to help his team clinch the World Test Championship title in June when India takes on New Zealand in the final in Southampton.

Photo of Indian pacer Umesh Yadav (Twitter)

Yadav's statement of him wanting to pull his "body for another two to three years" comes after he pulled out of the Test Series in Australia last year. The speedster limped off the field in the second Test in Melbourne due to a calf injury and was ruled out of the remainder of the Test series.

The Nagpur-born pacer has played 48 Tests over the span of nine years and his game-time has been affected by frequent injuries. He is currently a part of arguably India's best-ever pace attack, sharing the responsibility with Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami.

"I am 33 now and I know that I can mostly pull my body for another two or three years, and there will be some youngsters who will be arriving (to play). I feel this is just healthy because it ultimately ends up benefiting the team.

"When you have five or six fast bowlers on a tour of four or five Tests, you can play each one of them for two games to help reduce their stress and workload, so it helps that pack (of fast bowlers) play for longer," Umesh told ESPNcricinfo.

Despite being a regular in the Test squad over the last three years, 33-year-old Yadav now faces stiff competition due to the emergence of Mohammed Siraj, who has impressed one and all.

Siraj made his Test debut during the same Australia series and bagged 13 wickets in three matches, at an average of 29.54. He ended the Test series as the highest wicket-taker for India, a remarkable feat. His achievements during the Australia Tour earned him a call-up to the England Test series, which was heavily dominated by the spinners, and he picked up three wickets in two Tests.

Umesh has bowled more at home than overseas but feels experience helps him to perform in all conditions.

"So I haven't played much overseas, and I haven't had much experience of those kinds of wickets. But I've played a fair amount of Tests so far and learned with experience how a particular surface will behave.

"As far as the rest of my career is concerned, thank god that relatively I haven't had that many injuries. And that is satisfying as a fast bowler, because once a fast bowler starts getting injured (regularly), he tends to start struggling, which ultimately reduces his (playing) life," said Yadav.

"After an injury, there is the recovery, and then you need a rehab, which consumes a lot of time, which you can never get back. But I have lost very little time to injury periods, which has kind of helped me lengthen my career. So I haven't had to compromise a lot on my pace as well," he added.

Yadav did return to the squad for the final two Tests against England at home but didn't get a game. Given that he doesn't play limited-overs cricket for India, Umesh can't wait to make a contribution in the World Test Championship final.

"We have worked really hard to get there, and with players like me who are not regulars in white-ball cricket, it is this that we consider our World Cup. If I am able to perform well in that match and we end up winning, being world champions will forever be a memory," he said.

"The match is in England, where swing and seam are important, so I definitely see myself in the playing XI for that game," said Yadav.