Next few months very crucial, says Umesh Yadav.

[Blue Panther]

The Indian domestic season begins on October 1 in Jaipur between the Rest of India (ROI) and Ranji champions Rajasthan. For a few players in the ROI squad, it is a golden chance to get into national reckoning, now that a major chunk of the Indian team is nursing serious injuries and would be out of action for some time. Among them, Vidarbha pacer Umesh Yadav is gearing up for what he feels is one of the most crucial phases for fast bowlers in India. Zaheer Khan has undergone surgery on his ankle and won't be available for four months. Munaf Patel got injured in the final One- Day International (ODI) in England while Ishant Sharma, too, has a few niggles. With Sreesanth not in peak form, there are slots up for grabs in the pace department and Umesh knows now is the time to perform. "The next few months are very crucial for me. We all know that India needs fast bowlers now. So I am concentrating on doing my job correctly and the rest is up to the selectors," Umesh told Mail Today on Tuesday. "The Irani Trophy match will be a perfect opportunity to make a mark. There are two series at home coming up and bowlers like me and Varun (Aaron) know that now is the time to up our game." Both Umesh and Varun are regarded as the quickest bowlers in India right now, but both were made to warm the benches in two high-profile series this year. While Umesh didn't get to play in the Test series in South Africa early this year, Varun didn't play any of the five ODIs in England. Bowling in helpful conditions would have been ideal for both, but Umesh doesn't think it was a lost opportunity. "As a fast bowler, you can't expect to bowl in pacy or seaming wickets most of the time. Most of the pitches will be pata (flat) and even in these countries (England and South Africa) you get flat wickets." "So, one has to learn to bowl on batting tracks." For the Irani match, the 23-year-old is expecting a wicket with not too much help for the pacers. "I don't think Rajasthan would leave much grass on the wicket as they know our team has good quick bowlers. But since it is the start of the season, the wicket should have some freshness." http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article?id=item/2.0/-/story/cricket.yahoonews.com/next-few-months-very-crucial-says-umesh-yadav-20110928/