New Delhi: High on confidence after his superb World Cup performance, Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Umesh Yadav said he was focusing on his line and length to outsmart batsmen in the Indian Premier League.
Having finished with the man of the match award against Delhi Daredevils on Monday, 27-year-old Yadav said he used the pace and bounce of the Feroz Shah Kotla wicket.
“I’m just focussing on my line and length, that’s it. I had a lot of confidence from the World Cup. I just wanted to use the pace and skiddy bounce on this wicket,” he said.
Yadav finished as the third highest wicket taker in the February-March World Cup with 18 victims from eight games.
On Monday he returned impressive figures of 4-0-18-2, getting his successes in the 18th and 20th over of the innings.
The Nagpur-born right arm pacer conceded just five and three runs respectively in final two overs, enabling his side restrict the Delhi batsmen to a modest 146 for 8.
Asked about the yorkers he bowled in the last two overs, Yadav said: “If I’m bowling length in the last overs it’s very easy to hit sixes, that’s why I was bowling the yorkers.”
Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir also lauded Yadav.
“A lot of credit needs to go to the bowlers, especially Umesh, he’s been unbelievable, especially that last over he bowled.”
Gambhir said it was a luxury to have bowlers of the calibre of Yadav, Morne Morkel and Sunil Narine in the same team.
