The 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start with a bang from March 31 to entertain the fans during the Indian summer season. A host of young Indian players who will play in the 10 teams that will be fielding to win the trophy this season will be fighting for a chance to play for India again in international cricket with outstanding performances. Similarly, some veteran cricketers who are considered to have finished their Indian career like Dinesh Karthik, who was selected after 3 years unexpectedly after playing in the Bengaluru team last year, are also fighting with the ambition of playing for India again.
In that way, Maharashtra fast bowler Umesh Yadav is going to play for the Kolkata team in this year’s IPL series with the intention of getting a permanent place in the Indian team again. He made his debut in international cricket in 2010 and bowled at an impressive speed and got a chance in all 3 types of Indian team. A regular in the Test and ODI teams, he also set a record as the highest wicket-taker for India in the 2015 World Cup held in Australia.
Firm belief:
But after that, he who gave runs in IPL series, did not get a chance in white ball cricket due to the arrival of Bumrah, who made his debut in international cricket in 2016 and showed amazing performances and emerged as the main fast bowler. As the next generation of bowlers like Siraj have come to Potagukura, he is struggling to get a consistent chance in the Test team as well. But Umesh Yadav made a comeback in white-ball cricket after many years due to his excellent performance in the 2022 IPL series and was selected for the T20 series against South Africa in October 2022.
In that way, he is confident that he will get a place in the Indian team for the 2023 World Cup, which will be held at home in October, after performing very well in the 2023 IPL series. Here’s what he said in a recent interview, especially since he’s already past the age of 35, stating that this will be his last World Cup opportunity. “Yes it is in my mind. The World Cup is held only once in 4 years. In that sense, this World Cup will be my last chance.”
“Also Bumrah may recover before the World Cup. However, I am going to try my best in this IPL series. I hope to use it to get a place in the Indian team for the 2023 World Cup. It can be held only once in 4 years. So, instead of waiting for the next 4 years, I am going to take advantage of this IPL series and try to get a place in the Indian team.”
“So for now my full focus is on the IPL series. Maybe if I do well in white ball cricket then surely I can do well in Test cricket too. Because of that I will also get a chance to play with Shami and Siraj in the 2023 Test Championship final. Our team is good so we are confident that we will do well this time,” he said.
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With Bumrah earlier injured, Umesh Yadav is expected to get a chance in the Test Championship final in June. However, it remains to be seen if Bumrah will get a chance in the World Cup.