Umesh Yadav landed in Chandigarh airport at 7 am on Sunday without much fuss and headed straight to the hotel where the rest of the Indian squad has put up after almost getting an SOS call from the selectors and Indian team management. Umesh was drafted into the Indian T20I side in dramatic fashion after Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the three-match T20I series against Australia due to Covid-19. Shami himself was slated to play his first T20I since the World Cup in Dubai last year.
The urgency with which Umesh was brought to Chandigarh makes him almost a certain starter in the series opener here at Mohali On Tuesday. If Umesh does feature in India's XI in the first T20I, it will be his first tryst with the white ball in the India blue in 43 months. His last T20I was also against Australia in February, 2019 in Visakhapatnam and his last ODI was further back in 2018 at the same venue against West Indies.
That, however, doesn't mean that Umesh has been out of touch in limited-overs cricket. In fact, it's the opposite. Against all expectations, he had a terrific IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders this year and was one of the most lethal pacers in the powerplay picking up 16 wickets at an economy rate of 7. This was primarily the reason behind his sudden return to the T20I set-up barely a month ahead of the World Cup in Australia.
{{/usCountry}}That, however, doesn't mean that Umesh has been out of touch in limited-overs cricket. In fact, it's the opposite. Against all expectations, he had a terrific IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders this year and was one of the most lethal pacers in the powerplay picking up 16 wickets at an economy rate of 7. This was primarily the reason behind his sudden return to the T20I set-up barely a month ahead of the World Cup in Australia.
{{/usCountry}}The selectors have decided to fall back on the experience of Shami and Umesh after the below-par performance by the seamers in the Asia Cup which was one of the major reasons behind India's failure to reach the final.
The eye-brow raiser with Umesh's selection does not end there. The call to name him as Shami's replacement came hours after his county side Middlesex issued a statement about the veteran right-arm seamer's season with them coming to an end due to a thigh muscle injury.
The catch here is, the timing of Umesh's injury. He had suffered the injury in a Royal London Cup match against Gloucestershire last month and returned home immediately. Since then, the 34-year-old has been undergoing his rehabilitation at the NCA in Bengaluru.
After Shami tested positive for Covid-19, the selectors, contacted NCA physios and they gave a clean chit about Umesh's fitness, paving way for the Vidarbha cricketer's return to the Indian side.
Before the injury, Umesh was in fine form for Middlesex. He picked up 16 wickets in 7 List A matches including a five-for (5/33) against Durham.
India's World Cup squad is already announced and both Shami and Umesh don't feature in it - the former is part of the three stand by cricketers - but if Umesh has a good outing against Australia and Shami does his thing in the next series against South Africa then it shouldn't be a surprise if these two veterans pip the youngsters in joining the World Cup squad if the need arises.
Not to forget, they were India's main weapons the last time a World Cup was held in Australia in 2015, albeit in the ODI format.