'Efforts to make comeback'— Umesh Yadav poises team India return ahead of ENG vs IND series

Experienced pacer Umesh Yadav locks his target to make a Team India comeback just before the England vs. India 5-match Test series. The fast bowler shares his desire to make a comeback in international cricket, and for that, he prepares himself and is ready to play in domestic cricket to prove his mettle.

Yadav's last appearance was in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final. Where India lost against Australia by a 209-run margin. In this crucial match, Umesh captured a couple of wickets, spending 131 runs in 40 overs. After that, the board never picked the fast bowler on the team. The last time Umesh played in a limited overs match for India was back in 2022. Now, almost after a couple of years, the Nagpur-born cricketer is poised to make a comeback again in Team India.

"Efforts to make a comeback are complete. I cannot select myself. I will have to play some matches and get fit. To come back, I will have to play competitive cricket. My effort is to get fit and come back to the team," the 37-year-old said in a media briefing.

'Some things are meant to happen'

Yadav has played 57 Test matches for India and scalped 170 wickets at an average of 30.95, including three 5-wicket spells. In limited overs cricket, he participated in 75 ODIs and nine T20Is.

Highlighting his childhood days, Umesh is still astonished to remember how he developed himself as a bowler and even played for his country. Yadav said, "When I started playing cricket, I never thought that I would play this, I would play that, I would play for India... the son of a coal miner is sitting here playing for India. I think some things that are meant to happen, happen. I always say that fast bowlers are natural; you cannot make them fast bowlers."