XtraTime Web Desk: India’s star pacer Umesh Yadav brilliant bowling in both the innings of the second test helped the hosts to beat West Indies in the second test at Hyderabad on Sunday. He took 10 wickets in the match to derail West Indies batting to become only the third Indian pacer after Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath to bag 10 wickets in a home Test.
As the Australia tour knocking the door, Umesh’s brilliant show in the test series against Windies has given a pleasant headache to the team management as their key fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were rested.
“It can be a frustrating profession when you sit on the bench like Umesh for four Tests. Only 11 can play. He got his opportunity here and I’m very happy for him. It’s been done only four times [ten-for for a pacer in India]. What this will do is make him believe that he belongs. He can say now that he wants his place. That’s given us a headache. He was on target,” Shastri said after the match that ended in three days on Sunday.
Shastri feels that the team has taken a lot of positives from this test series. “When we’re playing at home, it’s easy to get complacent. We wanted to develop on the good habits. Being professional, closing out the sessions. You get a partnership and drive home the advantage. That sort of stuff,” Shastri said.
Ravi Shastri praised young Prithvi Shaw’s remarkable performance in the test series against West Indies which was also his debut series as well.“Shaw is born to play cricket. You can see the years he has already put in at the age of 19. I believe he’s been playing since 8. That’s already a decade. When I saw him first, he reminded a bit of Sachin Tendulkar, and a bit of Viru [Virender Sehwag]. When he walks, there’s a bit of Lara [Brian Lara]. If he can keep his head on his shoulders and keep the work ethic, he has a bright future,” he said.
The head coach of the Indian team also hinted that young Rishabh Pant might have also cemented his place in India’s test squad after his remarkable performances in England as well as against the Windies. “Pant is another name. He got his opportunity, he grabbed it, now he has consolidated it. [About Wriddhiman Saha returning and challenging Pant] You’ve got to go on current form,” Shastri said.