Indian cricket was fortunate enough to acquire the services of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman for a better part of two decades.
The two stitched several memorable partnerships in Test cricket. Who can forget the historic partnership between Laxman and Dravid at Eden Gardens at Kolkata in 2001, where the two batted almost a couple of days to guide India to an iconic victory against Australia.
Dravid and Laxman repeated their heroics during the 2004 Adelaide Test match, where they batted the host out of the game.
For a youngster laying stepping stones in cricket, the very sight of the two at the crease might nauseate the bowler.
Such was the case with Vidarbha fast bowler, Umesh Yadav, who had to face the daunting task during a Duleep Trophy game in 2008, between South Zone and Central Zone.
“When I went to play the Duleep Trophy match and got to know the team I would be playing against and I would be bowling against the likes of (Rahul) Dravid and (VVS) Laxman – I was terrified. I had never imagined that I would bowl such a fine spell under such a pressure situation,” Umesh told Manish Batavia on Spicy Pitch.
However, Umesh did not let his nervousness take the toll on him. In fact, he surprised one and all by taking the wickets of the two giants in world cricket.
“People say that their situation is tough, or they’ve seen such a hard life and struggled their way here. I say everyone has a hard life, no one has it easy. The main thing is to have faith and if you believe in yourself you’ll find success and the space you need in your life, there’s nothing else to it,” added Umesh.
To add the cherry on the cake, Umesh ended up with a five-wicket haul in the inning, thereby, making a name for himself very early in his career.
Yadav came into the reckoning during his stint with Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. From there on, he went on to receive the India cap.
Umesh could not quite make the impact in white-ball cricket, but certainly displayed his mettle in red-ball cricket, with his ability to reverse in home conditions.
