Even as Umesh Yadav surprised with a fine four-wicket haul on a turning track, questions arose whether the in-form pacer should have been given the new ball, and not been held back on day one of the first Test in Pune on Thursday.
India’s assistant coach Sanjay Bangar, however, justified the team’s decision to bring Yadav late into the attack, claiming it to be a deliberate ploy to utilise his reverse-swinging ability with the old ball, PTI reported.
“Umesh has been known to bowl well with the old ball,” Bangar told reporters after the end of day’s play. “Even in the series against England, you could see he got a lot of reverse swing. We had held him back, expecting that the ball would reverse-swing pretty early in the innings. It was the precise plan to hold him back as there were two left-handers at the top of the order,” Bangar added.
Australia got off to a solid start, with openers Davi Warner and Matt Renshaw sharing an 81-run stand. India got a reprieve when Renshaw retired ill after complaining of stomach pain. Yadav was brought in late, but bowled well with the old ball to finish with figures of 4/32.
“It’s all part of the plan, wherein you know the instinct or strength that each individual possesses,” Bangar said. “We know that Ishant [Sharma] has troubled a number of left-handers from the Australian team over the years with his pace and bounce. We wanted to exploit him and give him the first go against left-handers.
“We always knew about the capabilities of Umesh, who can pitch the ball slightly fuller with reverse swing coming very early into the game which we were expecting to happen. That was why he was held back. It was smart thinking by Virat. It helped him remain fresh throughout the day, which made him very incisive in his second and third spells as well,” Bangar added.
Bangar clarified that Yadav was aware of the plan. “It’s part of the communication and that is probably one of the stronger points of this current Indian team,” said the former India opener. He also credited the Indian think-tank for the change in the fast bowlers’ attitude.
“A lot of credit needs to go to captain and coach for the way they think. It all started with Ravi [Shastri] thinking in that fashion when he was in-charge, and after that Anil [Kumble] continuing in the same vein along with Virat, who has been consistent factor in the making of the composition of the team. So, credit to them for having stuck to this combination of five bowlers,” said Bangar.