It was a dominating batting performance by the visitors as they ended up with 537 on day 2 of the first Test at Rajkot. There was barely any assistance for the bowlers as Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali amassed centuries, making full use of the pitch that was batting friendly.
Amidst all the leather carnage, the Indian bowlers were trying their best to create opportunities, which they did but didnāt hold on to most of them when the chances came their way. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami had created enough opportunities in the morning of the 1st day to suggest that there was something in it for the fast bowlers early on in the innings. There were a few dropped catches and missed opportunities that could have told a different story of the England innings.
Nevertheless, even after Shami walked back owing to a slight injury, Yadav and the rest tried to keep the tempo up. Yadav bowled with a lot of heart only to get its reward towards the fag end of the first day. He followed it up with another tireless spell on day 2 to get Stokes out of the way. Yadavās figures might not boast of big numbers, but it definitely was an indication of his toil on the field. Later, in a chat with BCCI.TV, Yadav agreed he could have done better and vowed to come back stronger the next time. Here is Yadav decoding his bowling performance.
What was your assessment of the pitch and what were the focus areas to be successful on a pitch that hardly aided the quicks?
When the match started, there was a little bit of help for the new ball bowlers. But as the ball got older and softer, the pitch became batsman friendly. We werenāt getting the movement that we would have wanted. As bowlers, we wanted to stick to the off-stump line and not give enough room for the batsmen to play their shots. That was the intention with which Mohammed Shami and I bowled. On such pitches, the batsmen go for their shots and as bowlers you have to keep a tight length to restrict the run-flow.
How difficult was it to bowl on that wicket and as fast bowlers, what is important to do during such situations?
As fast bowlers, it is almost like a challenge for us to bowl on such pitches that are not conducive to pace bowling. At that time, the mindset matters. You need to gauge the nature of the pitch and bowl accordingly. It was a flat track but our attitude levels never dropped. We didnāt want to give away freebies. The ball later started to reverse and the wicket slowly began to aid the fast bowlers. In comparison to yesterday, the pitch became even better for batting. We bowled well collectively. As a fast bowler, you have to be ready for such situations. I am bowling such long spells and so many overs (31.5 overs) after a long time and I relished the challenge.
How did you cope up to that phase when Shami walked back for some treatment to the dressing room?
When you areplaying with five bowlers and one of your key bowlers goes back midway, the onus is on the rest to do the job. Shami is someone who is a very supportive bowler and when he got injured, it did get a bit difficult to bowl there. These are part and parcel of the game and you have to be always one up on the opposition. We couldnāt let our confidence levels drop and I believe the rest of the bowlers maintained it pretty well.
You created opportunities, but catches were let down. Does it affect your mindset when you realise you could have had more wickets in your bag?
As a fast bowler, it is important that you donāt get demoralized when a catch is dropped off yourbowling. You do feel the pinch at that point of time, but you cannot blame anyone for dropped catches. One has to realise that it is the same fielders who create opportunities out of half chances as well and get you a wicket. It is all about walking back to your bowling mark and creating more opportunities ahead.
When you look at the scorecard, do you feel satisfied with your bowling performance?
I could have done a lot better and got a couple of more wickets. I understand that I have to get more disciplined in my bowling. There were times when I bowled four good balls but went haywire in the final two deliveries. I believe I can control this aspect of my game and I am going to go back to the drawing board and work on my mistakes with the team management.
You spoke about bowling and staying on the field for long hours. How much of a role did fitness play in these two days?
Fitness matters during such situations. When you know that the pitch is good for batting and the batsmen are going to go after you, you have to be mentally and physically fit to counter those challenges. You can bowl long spells without any discomfort only if your body is fit and is willing to go through the grind. I believe I could bowl those long spells only because I have been working hard on my fitness. I would like to thank our trainer and the rest of the support staff in the team who are pushing us hard to get fit bodies on the ground.
Tell us about the dramatic catch you took of Joe Root.
It was heartening to get Rootās wicket, it was almost like a little reward for all the hardwork put in for a long time. Rootās wicket was important and it was about getting that momentum and picking up more wickets after his dismissal. I think everyone got a bit confused by my reaction after taking the catch. I was actually celebrating it. I had thrown the ball in the air after catching it but when I threw it my hands hit the ball. I then thought that I should catch the ball so that there is no doubt in the mind of the umpire that I was celebrating the catch and not going back to catch it. I had taken the catch cleanly; the ball was in my hand for a long time and only then pushed it. I think the umpires made the right decision at the end of it. Even after my second catch today, I threw the ball immediately because I have become habitual to doing the same during the fielding drills. It is about quickness, catching the ball and immediately throwing it which is a part of fielding.
