New Delhi: Umesh Yadav's fiery spell right after tea helped India end South Africa's vigil in the fourth Test and that spirited effort has given the fast bowler much needed confidence in his start-stop career.
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Yadav on Monday produced a serious spell of fast bowling that saw him snare three wickets in six maiden overs in the final session. He ended with figures of 21-16-9-3.
"Throughout my Test career, I have played a match here or a couple there; never really had a few games at the stretch. But after this spell, my confidence has gone really high. I felt that whatever I have learnt so far, whether while playing Test cricket or going back to domestic cricket, I could make it count in this spell," said Yadav.
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What was his mindset going into the final session? "I told myself that this is the last Test match I am going to play for the next six months," he was quoted as saying by bcci.tv.
"And this moment, the chance to beat South Africa 3-0 by winning a Test like this will never come back again. I knew that one wicket would open things up for us. All I wanted was that one wicket."
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Yadav removed Dane Vilas and Kyle Abbott with fast in-swingers before getting Dane Piedt caught behind to set up the series-victory at Kotla. "We had a word in the dressing room during the tea break that it won't be a bad idea to bowl with a slingy action, because it would help me swing the ball more," he revealed.
Read: ‘Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav will soon be world-class bowlers’
"I tried it and it worked. I got the ball to reverse more than usual because of that action. Also, since it was swinging late, the batsmen were confused whether it would come in or go away," he said.
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