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Cricket Players'He was swinging the ball at 145kph just like the old days': Harbhajan hails veteran India pacer's 'splendid comeback'
Former spinner Harbhajan Singh said it was great to see the veteran pacer quick bowling quick, with accuracy and taking wickets.
The IPL 2022 was yet another memorable season for the fast bowlers. Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Wanindu Hasaranga may have emerged as the top two leading wicket-takers but the pacers weren't far behind. Umran Malik was the biggest story of this year's IPL whereas the likes of Mohsin Khan, Mukesh Choudhary impressed too. And at the same time, the established guys like Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami proved why they belong in the finest category.
However, one more pacer who had a rather remarkable IPL season was veteran India quick Umesh Yadav. The 34-year-old pacer picked up 16 wickets this season but more than his wickets tally, it was the discipline he bowled with and the precision he showed in his line and length is what got everyone talking. Umesh produced early breakthroughs for KKR and picked up a four-wicket-haul. Impressed with the Vidarbha pacer's performances, Harbhajan lauded Umesh for his stellar comeback, calling it a throwback to the old days when Yadav would bowl with both pace and swing.
"Umesh Yadav has made a splendid comeback. Some players really benefit from being in the right team and with Umesh, it's like he enjoyed playing for KKR. This team gave him that confidence. This was the Umesh Yadav we knew of. He was swinging the ball at 145 kph just like the old days," Harbhajan said on SportsKeeda.
The former India off-spinner weighed in on the current crop of Indian fast bowlers that made heads turn in the IPL 2022. Mentioning the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Mohsin and Umran, Harbhajan reckons the golden era of Indian fast bowling is here and this will only grow in the time to come.
"I am very impressed with the crop of Indian fast bowlers that are coming up through the ranks. Talk of Umran, Prasidh, Mohsin and so many more. They are all so good. Earlier, it was never like this. We used to have a stock of spinners and now there are so many fast bowlers which is a great thing, something we never witnessed before. In the past, we saw Australia, England, Pakistan produce so many fast bowlers and now it’s India's turn," pointed out Harbhajan.
