Journalism of Courage
Umesh Yadav ranked his performance in the 18th over against Pune Warriors in the ongoing IPL 2013 among his 8220;top-three8221; in the shortest format of the game.
He also revealed about the kind of planning that had gone into bowling that particular over.
came out well in the end,8221; Umesh,who conceded only two runs in that crucial over against Pune,told PTI today.
Asked about the kind of plan that he executed,Umesh explained,8221;I bowled a couple yorkers and then got Luke with a slower one. I had it in mind that side boundaries are really long and if I bowl a bouncer,it will need a really powerful pull-shot to clear the ropes. Yuvraj played the pull shot and was caught at the boundary line. I must admit,had it been any other ground,it was a six.8221;
David Warner termed Umesh8217;s bowling at the death as sensational. Asked him about the compliments,the pacer answered,8221;The special part about this team is bonding among the players. Just like Warner said that I was sensational,even his full-stretched dive at the boundary line off my bowling was brilliant.8221;
For Umesh,a good performance becomes even more special when the team starts winning.
8220;Winning is what matters in the end. If my performance helps the team8217;s cause,it makes me proud and happy. When I was about to bowl that over,Mahela told me,8217;Just bowl what you think is perfect. You decide and don8217;t have to take anyone8217;s advice.8217; That boosted my confidence.8221;
The 25-year-old has taken 11 wickets in nine IPL matches this season and is happy with his form after coming back from injury.
8220;It always takes two to three matches to assess how your body is responding to the rigours of competitive cricket. I can confidently say that my rhythm has been good and I can feel that. I am being able to bowl the deliveries that I want to bowl and it is only possible when you hit a good rhythm,8221; Umesh said.
He praised the 22-yard-strip at the newly-built Shahid Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium here.
8220;The pitch offers good bounce and there is some lateral movement available. I enjoyed bowling on this strip,8221; Umesh said.
The Daredevils8217; campaign has been marred by shoddy batting but Umesh defended the batsmen.
8220;There is no point in playing blame games. If they can bat badly,we can also bowl badly. It8217;s not about who does well,it8217;s all about the team doing well.8221;
