Umesh Yadav has played just one international match this year. Yes, you read that right. Just one.
That lone game was a T20I against Australia in Visakhapatnam in February. Since then, he played 11 matches in the Indian Premier League for Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore, but was left out of India's 2019 ICC World Cup squad.
The 31-year-old right-arm fast bowler's last Test came against the Aussies in the second encounter in Perth December last year, where he picked up two wickets in 37 overs in the match, a performance that saw him being dropped for the subsequent couple of Tests.
After a bit of a lull, the Vidarbha pacer seems to have sprung back into life, shining with his pace and wickets in India's lone three-day warm-up match against West Indies 'A' in Coolidge. Yadav was the most successful of the Indian bowlers in the first innings, picking up three wickets including that of Darren Bravo while giving away just 19 runs in 10 overs. In the second dig, he bowled just three overs as the match was called off at tea with West Indies 'A' at 47/3 in 21 overs.
The time away from the game, albeit forcefully, has done a world of good for Yadav.
"I gave myself some time to work on my errors and get my rhythm back," Yadav said after the warm-up game.
"I worked on my lengths. It happens with fast bowlers, when you are playing in different countries. You're unable to settle to a specific length. I worked on that."
Yadav's performances last year were a continuation of his wonderful 2017, during which he picked up 31 Test wickets in 10 outings at a strike rate of 52.87. In 2018, he played just five games, and yet scalped 20 batsmen at a much lower strike rate of 38.05.
This year so far has been a letdown for him, not getting enough games while losing out on a spot in the playing XI due to the presence of more impactful and consistent fast bowlers in the Indian squad. Yadav said he needed positive energy during his break.
"There are times when everything is going good but your mind is distracted, thinking that things are not going the way you want it to be going," Yadav said.
"To get away and think, that space of mind is important. I did the same. I went home, spoke to my coach, cleared my thoughts and got clarity.
"You need an off-time because it is only during your off-time that you can re-channelise your mindset. I worked with my coach and asked him for his opinion. He was very positive and that's what you want. When you get that positivity, you're confident that you're getting better. I even spoke to the batsmen and the support staff (in the Indian team), and they also said, 'Whatever you've been doing, it seems to be working'," the pacer added.
The reason Yadav has faded away a bit this year is simply due to the competition between the pacers. In Tests, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami are generally the first-choice fast bowlers, while in the ODIs, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami are the preferred options.
But far from being bogged down by it, Yadav is kicked about the jostling for spots in the playing XI by the fast bowlers.
"When you know that you're going to be playing back-to-back Test matches, you also need that kind of a bench-strength," Yadav said. "All the fast bowlers know there is a good competition and that everyone is going to get an opportunity. Whoever does well, will get to play more. If we think in that manner, it's good for us because we will try to improve ourselves.
"We keep trying to get better, and that helps the team too. It's very important. If there is healthy competition, it's exciting," he added.
Did You Know?
Umesh Yadav has played just one match for India in 2019 so far, a T20 International against Australia in Visakhapatnam in February
