Former South African pacer Shaun Pollock insisted Team India to have proper communication with the senior player like Ishant Sharma who was expected to replace the injured Mohammed Siraj in the third Test but Umesh Yadav was preferred above him.
“I think the communication needs to be good. The guy needs to be respected for what he has done,” Pollock told Cricbuzz.
“You need to be honest with him and you need to give him the exact reason. If the reason was 'we think you would be better suited if there were no left-handers,' he just has to accept that.”
Ishant has 311 Test scalps against his name which includes 11 five-wickets haul as 7/74 remained his best bowling figures. On the other hand, Umesh in a span of 51 Test matches has snared 156 wickets which includes three fifers. Going by the experience, undoubtedly Ishant trumps Umesh in most of the quarters if not all.
Pollock – a former pacer himself – also said that it must have been tough for Ishant to sit in the dressing room throughout the series, especially considering the pitches in the first two Tests.
“It's not easy, when you have played that much amount of cricket and have given some really good service. The conditions are good in South Africa and he must be dying for an opportunity, particularly after those two pitches. He must be thinking, 'Gosh if I could just have a game here, I'm sure I could make an impact',” said Pollock.
"I hope the communication with him has been good because he deserves that and then he has to assess where he is at," he further added.
In the ongoing thrid Test match between India and South Africa, which stands still at 1-1, Umesh, in a spell of 16 overs, scalped 2 wickets in the first innings while conceding 64 runs which included three maidens.
