Umesh Yadav steamed in with the new ball in hand, pitched it halfway across the track and got Matt Renshaw, all of 1.85 metres in height, hopping in his crease. The ball still rose above the batsman and was still rising when it reached the wicketkeeper. It took a superhuman effort from Wriddhiman Saha to pouch it one-handed behind the sticks.
Not long after, Bhuvneshwar Kumar did almost the same to a much shorter David Warner. The short-pitched ball hit a crack this time and took off, before whacking the hopping left-hander between his neck and left shoulder. Ouch.
In between and around those two deliveries, there were others that were pitched on a good length or just short of it, which seamed either way, sometimes taking the edge and flying past the fielders for four or somehow beating the bat by a whisker, squaring the batsmen.
There was one dropped chance in the slips off Bhuvneshwar, which really should have been taken. However, Warner could not profit from his extra life like he had in the first innings because Umesh produced another jaffa – pitching it on good length just outside off, seaming it away from the left-hander but close enough to his body to make him play it. Warner got the edge and Saha made no mistake.
Umesh got Renshaw soon after in almost similar fashion, pitching just a bit shorter in length to square up the tall left-hander, inducing the nick that was once again pouched by the keeper. He had preceded that delivery with another bouncer.
Bhuvneshwar, meanwhile, got the biggest fish in the lake – Steve Smith, the Australia captain and the best batsman in this series, albeit the swing bowler profited from a bit of luck. After scoring 499 runs in the series, Smith chopped a short-pitched delivery back onto his stumps after an attempted pull.
Australia were 32/3 after 10 fiery overs from Umesh and Bhuvneshwar. India’s 32-run first-innings lead meant that score was effectively 0/3. India’s two quick bowlers had bounced and seamed Australia’s top-order out on a day three pitch. And remember, this wasn’t Perth. This was Dharamsala. The day three pitch had a tinge of green, plenty of bounce and carry, but was still good for batting.
The Indian pacers weren’t the only ones who impressed on day three. During India’s innings, Pat Cummins continued where he left off in Ranchi and peppered the batsmen with bouncers. Unlike Ranchi, the Dharamsala pitch offered a lot more purchase to Cummins, who made the Indian batsmen look like, using Sanjay Manjrekar’s favourite term, cats on a hot tin roof. In the 30 overs that he bowled for his 3/94, Cummins rammed in as many bouncers to the Indians, and it was a joy to watch, considering this is the sub-continent.
This series was supposed to be all about spin, and the first couple of Test matches were decided by the spinners from either side. But as this gripping series draws to a close, on a day when one of the fastest bowlers in the world, Shaun Tait, announced his retirement, pace ruled the roost in Dharamsala. Even on pitches that were less supportive of fast bowling, Umesh, Ishant Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Cummins and Mitchell Starc have produced spells that left cricket fans yearning for more.
The spinners did come into play later in the day. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared six wickets between them as Australia were bowled out for 137, but it was India’s fast bowlers who have set their team up for a series-clinching victory. Umesh got one more wicket in his second spell, that of Nathan Lyon, to take his series tally to 17. Only the two spinners from either team have taken more wickets than him. The next best pacer in this series in terms of wickets is Hazlewood, with nine.
This also put Umesh’s home season tally at 30 in 12 matches. This has been a breakthrough season for Umesh and although it is coming a bit later than he would have liked – he is 29 years old – in his career, he wouldn’t mind it. Ever since he played his first Test in November 2011, Umesh’s pace, which is constantly clocking the 90 mph mark, has been impressive, but his accuracy was the problem. He was criticised for being too erratic and bowling one too many loose deliveries down the legside waiting to be hit. There were a few good spells sprinkled in between, but not enough to rely on him. That has changed after this season.
Speaking to the host broadcaster, Star Sports, after the third day’s play in Dharamsala, Umesh revealed that it was an overall team effort that got him to mend his ways. Umesh worked with India head coach Anil Kumble and assistant coach Sanjay Bangar before the home season began, and also took tips from the Indian batsmen on how he should bowl at them. He learnt to “think like a batsman” in order to know how and where to bowl at them.
“Anil bhai and Sanjay bhai told me that I have the pace, and the more steady I become, the better it will be,” he said. “They told me to relax and bowl. Line and length will automatically take care of themselves. I know that I have pace, so it’s just a matter of getting my line and length right. I used my strengths to the fullest and slowly worked on my weaknesses. It’s very important to have control along with pace and that’s what I worked on. I learnt that as a bowler, you have to think like a batsman – where is he strong and weak. My thinking changed after talking to Anil bhai and Sanjay bhai. I spoke to our batsman too. They told me, ‘Umesh, this length is good, it’s troubling the batsman.’ I planned my bowling accordingly.”
Umesh’s new ball heroics
Prior to this series against Australia, Umesh had a reputation of being an old-ball bowler. Even as he surprised everyone with a fine four-wicket haul on a turning Pune track in the first Test of the series, the Indian team management had justified their decision to bring him on late into the attack, claiming it to be a deliberate ploy to utilise his reverse-swinging ability with the old ball. That perception could change following this Dharamsala Test. His opening spells with the new ball in either innings of this match are 5-1-29-1 and 6-1-22-2.
“When I am in rhythm, I enjoy bowling with the new ball,” Umesh said. “If the conditions are good, the pitch is good, and the ball is carrying and swinging, I know that I can get my team two early wickets. If a fast bowler gets one or two wickets with the new ball, it’s gives him a lot of confidence. If you take two wickets with the new ball, it puts pressure on the remaining batsmen. They know that the bowler is bowling well and it won’t be easy to tackle him. Then, when you get the old ball in your hand and if it reverses, it’s an icing on the cake.”
New ball or old, Umesh has been India’s man of the season. He’s been seriously fast, he’s been aggressive with his bowling (and not with his mouth), he’s been consistent with his line and length, and he’s managed to not break down despite doing all of the above for over 350 overs across 12 Tests since September. With Mohammed Shami’s imminent return from injury and the good form displayed by Umesh, Bhuvneshwar and Ishant Sharma this season, India now has a pace quartet that is starting to ruffle a few feathers across the world.
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