Umesh Yadav opines on Kane Williamson ahead of WTC final

Umesh Yadav, the Indian fast bowler, is wary of the threat New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson poses going into the World Test Championship final. The match is set to be played from June 18-22 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. The Tauranga-born Williamson is currently ICC’s number one ranked Test batter ahead of the likes of Steve Smith, Joe Root and Virat Kohli.

Recently, he also scored a couple of sparkling double centuries against Pakistan and West Indies owing to which he went to the top. Umesh understands that Kane doesn’t have a lot of weakness and needs to be dismissed before he gets his eyes in.

We need to get Kane out as early as possible: Umesh Yadav

“We do have a fair idea about Kane’s game, though I don’t think he has too many weaknesses. Of course, any quality batsman can fall to a good delivery, so as a fast bowler, you should look to stick to your strong points and bowl more of those balls which can fetch you wickets. And yeah, we need to get Kane out as early as possible as that’ll surely benefit the team,” Umesh told The Telegraph.

On the back of performances from their pace attack consisting of Kyle Jamieson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, the Black Caps are one step away from a world title. Umesh said that it would be a challenging task for them to beat the Kiwis in the English conditions.

“New Zealand are a strong side, they bat deep and their pacers are quite experienced and lethal. So, it will be a tough game. English conditions are also a big challenge for us and so is playing against a team like New Zealand,” he stated.

As per Umesh, maintaining discipline will be of prime importance in order to win the championship final. There’s a difference of only one rating point between no.1 India and no.2 New Zealand in the ICC Test rankings.

“But being Test players, we need to play with discipline and make sure we remain disciplined right throughout in all aspects of the game. The team that maintains such discipline in each and every session will prevail,” Umesh added.