After ousting India for 163 in their second set late on Day 2, Australia now have a golden chance to register a rare victory in India.
Umesh acknowledged that there weren’t many points to defend on the board, but with the cornering and uneven bouncing still offered from the pitch, the team will do their best to make it harder for the Australians.
Fourteen wickets fell on the opening day of the Third Test while 16 batters went out on Thursday.
Nathan Lyons crossed the Indian baton on day two to finish with an eight wicket run and put his side within reach of a rare win.
“In cricket anything can happen. We’ll do our best and play tight lines. It’s not an easy wicket, either our batters or theirs. It’s not easy to get out there and hit.
“The ball also stays low, so you can’t be sure to get out.
“There are fewer runs but we will stick to tight lines and push as much as possible,” said Umesh, who did his job with the ball on Thursday morning providing three wickets.
The 35-year-old, who does not play regularly at home for India with just two leaders, struggled in the opening session to help the hosts limit Australia to 197 in their second leg after resuming the day at 156 for four.
Umesh played fast and straight with a scrambled seam and let the surface do the rest. He trapped Cameron Green up front with a beauty that held his line after landing on the middle stump. Mitchell Starc and Todd Murphy also couldn’t do much against a charged Umesh and saw their stumps come apart.
“My plan on this surface was to play straight and push for a wicket or two. As a fast bowler I have to hit hard on the deck and play in the right areas. I played most of my cricket in India , my mindset is always to get a wicket.”
On the scrambled seam, he added: “There was a movement of the seam that’s why I tried the scrambled seam. If it didn’t sway, it was seam. Whatever length I rolled, there was a sewing motion and a skid after the throw.”
With the bat, Umesh couldn’t add any vital runs for the team as he and Mohammed Siraj both perished aiming for the big hits.
The pacer said on wickets like these it makes more sense for a hooker to attack than defend.
“We didn’t get any message (to attack) when I came in at bat. My job was to score runs from that tough wicket. It’s hard to get runs here. I think, rather than defending and to go out eventually, it’s better to go for shots on a wicket like this. Even me, I would have scored 10-20 runs, that would have pushed the lead to 90. That’s more important to me.” , he added.
(With PTI entries)
