He last represented India in 2023.
Pacer Umesh Yadav has expressed his desire to make a comeback to the Indian team. The 37-year-old last played a Test match for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against Australia at The Oval in London, where the Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a massive 209-run defeat. Umesh failed to provide breakthroughs for India at regular intervals. He registered figures of 2/131 in his 40 overs across two innings. Since then, he has not been picked for the national side, and the wait for another chance continues.
Recently, speaking to Sports Tak, the Nagpur-born cricketer opened up on his mindset and comeback ambitions.
“Efforts to make a comeback are complete. I cannot select myself. I will have to play some matches, get fit. To come back, I will have to play competitive cricket. My effort is to get fit and come back in the team,” said Umesh.
The right-arm pacer reflected on his journey from a humble start to wearing the India jersey on the world stage.
“When I started playing cricket, I never thought I would play for India. I am a natural fast bowler and never went to any academy. That is why I never thought that I would play for India. While playing, the son of a coal miner is sitting here playing for India. I think some things that are meant to happen, happen. I always say that fast bowlers are natural; you cannot make them fast bowlers,” added Umesh.
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The Vidarbha pacer has represented India in 57 Test matches and scalped 170 wickets at an average of 30.95. He has three five-wicket hauls to his name. His best Test figures of 10/133 came against the West Indies in Hyderabad in 2018, which helped him join the elite list of Indian pacers. He became the third Indian pacer to take a 10-wicket haul at home after former India skipper Kapil Dev, who did it twice (vs Pakistan in Chennai in 1980 and vs West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983), and Javagal Srinath (13 wickets vs Pakistan in Kolkata in 1999).
Umesh has also played 75 ODIs and nine T20Is. He last featured in the Ranji Trophy in 2024-25, where he managed just one wicket from a lone match. He also went unsold in the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction after playing for the Gujarat Titans in the previous season.
However, Umesh’s age and form are not in his favour. But he can draw inspiration from England’s veteran James Anderson, who continued to lead the pace attack even at the age of 41. His experience, fitness, and raw pace still make Umesh a valuable asset in the longest format of the game. A potential strong domestic season might help him catch selectors’ attention, where depth in pace bowling remains a concern.
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