India fast bowler Umesh Yadav believes that for players who play very limited to no white-ball cricket, representing the country at the World Test Championship and winning it is the ultimate goal. At 33, Yadav hopes to make it to the playing XI in England and then perform his best to have a lasting memory of the showpiece Test event.
"We have worked really hard to get there,” Yadav spoke ESPNCricinfo about the WTC finale in England. “With players like me who are not regulars in white-ball cricket, it is this that we consider our World Cup. If I am able to perform well in that match and we end up winning, being world champions will forever be a memory," he said.
Considering that England is a place where India would like to play with four-seamers, Yadav sees himself being a part of the bowling lineup. "The match is in England, where swing and seam are important, so I definitely see myself in the playing XI for that game," said the Nagpur born.
The WTC final is scheduled to take place between India and New Zealand from 18-22 June at Southampton in England.
Talking about his future in cricket, Yadav said that he hardly has two to three years to push himself and if he could do that, it would ultimately be beneficial to the team. "I am 33 now and I know that I can mostly pull my body for another two or three years, and there will be some youngsters who will be arriving (to play). I feel this is just healthy because it ultimately ends up benefiting the team,” he said.
The Vidarbha bowler who has so far taken 263 wickets in 130 appearances for India feels lucky that he hasn’t faced the brunt of injury as much as some of his peers have had to. “Relatively I haven't had that many injuries. And that is satisfying as a fast bowler, because once a fast bowler starts getting injured (regularly), he tends to start struggling, which ultimately reduces his (playing) life,” said Yadav, who will be playing for Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition of the IPL.