Umesh Yadav, 38, takes five as Punjab restrict Assam to 373 in Ranji Trophy return
Umesh Yadav, 38, took a five-wicket haul for Punjab to help restrict Assam to 373 on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy match at the PCA International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Monday. The performance came in his first Ranji Trophy appearance since December 2024.
Yadav finished with figures of 5 for 70 from 24 overs across the two days, claiming two wickets on Sunday and three more on Monday to register the 16th five-wicket haul of his first-class career. The outing marked his first match for Punjab after leaving Vidarbha and joining the state side as a guest player for the 2026-27 season.
He struck early in the contest, bowling opener Rishav Das for a duck on Day 1 and later dismissing No. 3 Rajveer Singh. On Monday Yadav removed lower-order batters Amlanjyoti Das, Mukhtar Hussain and Mohit Thakur as Punjab worked to keep Assam's total under control.
Assam’s innings featured centuries from captain Danish Das and Sibsankar Roy, the latter unbeaten on 143, and those contributions forced Punjab to battle for every wicket. Yadav bowled 24 overs in the innings, one more than fellow pacer Gurnoor Brar, 26, who is regarded as one of Punjab's promising fast-bowling prospects.
The pair of senior and younger pacers limited further scoring after Assam’s top order had accumulated substantial runs. Yadav and Brar’s spells prevented Assam from adding significantly to the platform set by the centuries.
Yadav began his domestic career with Vidarbha in 2008 and left the state after representing them for much of his career before signing with Punjab for the current season. He has said he had waited for an opportunity to join a bigger domestic side after leaving Vidarbha, despite hearing doubts about whether a team would sign him at this stage of his career, according to Cricinfo.
His recent return follows a period away from international cricket: Yadav last played for India in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023, underwent Achilles tendon surgery in England and spent nearly a year in rehabilitation before returning to competitive cricket for Vidarbha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. He went unsold at the IPL auction, missed the 2026 season as a player and worked as a commentator during the tournament prior to joining Punjab.
The five-wicket haul, achieved after bowling 24 overs across two days, offered an early demonstration of Yadav’s capacity to shoulder a substantial workload in red-ball cricket.
