Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Umesh Yadav has been in fine form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). In the season opener, the Indian pacer had picked up two wickets to restrict the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to 131/5. In the second match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Umesh claimed two more wickets but KKR had to concede a three-wicket defeat in the game.
McCullum speaks
While talking about Umesh’s superb bowling, KKR head coach Brendon McCullum said that the veteran Indian pacer ‘has been simply outstanding.’
“Umesh Yadav has been simply outstanding. I was lucky enough to play with Umesh when I was still playing the game back then and I knew how good a bloke he was and how much of a talent he was, especially with the new ball if there was assistance,” McCullum said while addressing the media.
“His brief is very much to try and take wickets for us. If he goes for a few runs, we don’t care, we just want to have the attacking mentality. In two games, he has done more than we could have asked for,” said the former New Zealand cricketer.
Umesh's fitness
McCullum believes that the 34-year-old Nagpur-born pacer ‘is still incredibly fit’ and the KKR team see him ‘as a huge asset for’ them.
“I know he is closer to the end of his career. But he is still incredibly fit, very very driven and we see him as a huge asset for us, especially in the early stages of the tournament when the ball is still swinging and seaming,” the KKR head coach explained.
In the match against RCB, the Shreyas Iyer-led side registered a total of 128 in 18.5 overs. RCB’s Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva picked up four wickets as pacer Akash Deep claimed three wickets to restrict the opposition within a small total.
In reply, RCB could not start the run chase on a positive note as they lost their first three wickets scoring just 17 runs. Later, Sherfane Rutherford (28 runs off 40 balls) and Shahbaz Ahmed (27 runs off 20 balls) put up a brave fight to help their side in reaching a comfortable position. Eventually, wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik’s crucial cameo (14 not out off 7 balls) sealed the victory for RCB.
