'He'd often come and ask, 'Why have you dropped me?' Then he'd get angry and not speak to me for a day': Bharat Arun
More than fitness, to survive in the Indian team one needs a whole lot of luck. And it was something that a 35-year-old India star, even with 139 appearances across formats, lacked, often leaving his “angry” and “disappointed”, recalls former India bowling coach Bharat Arun.
The Indian cricket team has increasingly, over the years, become difficult to be consistently part of. One of the primary reason is of course the rising demand of the sport which has packed calendar comprising international matches across three formats and the annual event in Indian Premier League. But the more important reason has been the growing competition in the side with every slot in the XI, no matter the format, having at least 3-4 players in a tussle. More than fitness, one needs a whole lot of luck. And it was something that a 35-year-old India star, even with 139 appearances across formats, lacked, often leaving his “angry” and “disappointed”, recalls former India bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, on their ‘Rise of New India’ show, Arun recalled how Team India selection would often leave Umesh Yadav thinking “What wrong did I do?” But Arun barely had answers for him and hence had a “lot of explaining to do”. The former India coach admitted that with a fit Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Umesh had to be left out despite bowling “beautifully”.
“There are many instances when Umesh was disappointed not being part of the team especially after doing very well. But I had a lot of explaining to do because he would come up to me and say, 'Why have you dropped me? What wrong did I do?' It was a very tough call because there are only that many fast bowlers you could play in terms of what they had done and their form, especially when Shami, Bumrah and Ishant were the fast bowlers with Hardik Pandya to chip in as the fourth fast bowler back when he was playing Test cricket. Umesh was bowling beautifully but was consistently being dropped,” Arun recalled.
The former India bowler said that Umesh would be left furious at the selection choices and would not speak to him for a day but would eventually return having understood the situation. Arun hailed Umesh as a “perfect team man”.
“Sometimes he would get so angry that he would not speak to me for a day but then he would come to me and say I understand. Even when I speak to him I say, 'If you are not angry, there is something wrong with you. If it doesn't happen, you are accepting things meekly.' Umesh was magnificent. He was a perfect team man that you would want to have in your side.”
