I Don't Look at Myself Being a Victim, Hope to Play White-Ball Cricket: Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav is often sees as a Test specialist, especially for home conditions. The pacer last played an ODI in 2018 and a T20I in February 2019, although he is a regular in the squad in red-ball cricket.

Even in Tests, Umesh is seen as a home-specialist, often losing out to the likes of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma overseas.

Umesh credits his "enormous mental strength" for keeping him in the game despite a stop-start international career for the past 10 years.

"To be honest, I am really strong mentally and that makes a lot of difference," Umesh told PTI.

"I don't pay much heed to stuff like who is going to get a chance or whether I have to sit in the reserves. This is a game where anything is possible.

"A lot of factors go into it  -- form, conditions. It's just about delivering and grabbing the given opportunities. So, I don't think so much about other things."

Umesh has 144 wickets from 46 Tests along with 106 wickets from 75 ODIs. The Vidarbha pacer said he doesn't see himself as a 'victim' playing in the tough conditions in sub-continent while other pacers get more opportunities in more conducive conditions abroad.

"No, I don't look at myself being a victim. There are times when I have played and times when I have not played," he said.

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"During the times I am not playing, I just look forward towards working on my game. (I am) getting better at my skills and hopefully will be a part of white ball cricket."

Umesh said he talks with multiple people when he feels the need for advice.

"There is no one man I seek advice from. In fact, knowledge is available everywhere. You just need to be ready to grasp it. At home, it's my coach Subroto sir (former India seamer Subroto Banerjee) who is my sounding board," he said.

"Also there is Ashish bhai (Nehra) and Zak paa (Zaheer Khan) who have also helped me a lot. Sometimes, I also chat with our bowling coach Bharath Arun sir."

The pacer has been working on his fitness in Delhi, where he is staying during the lockdown. Umesh adds that he is eager to play whatever matches come his way.

"There is a ground, which is around 350 metres from where I am staying. I am going for my daily runs over there during past few days," he said.

"In India, whenever the season starts , whatever opportunities that come by, be it club matches, district games, I would just love to dive into a game. Match practice is a must and I am eager to be back on field.

"All I can say is that the lockdown helped me improve myself. The lockdown also gave our bodies time to recover. I used the time to just work on my body, primarily strength training.

"I need to be positive and confident about when I am playing. The game is yet to start and don't know when would it happen , I just want to practice and have a positive frame of mind.

"Irrespective of the age factor, we all have lost 6-8 months of cricket."