(right), in a training session in
IPL (
2014) (left) and Umesh Yadav (right), in an ad during IPL
2015 In May 2010, Yadav was called into India's squad for the
World Twenty20 in place of the injured
Praveen Kumar, but did not go on to play in the tournament. Later that month, he was included in the squad to play a
tri-nation ODI series in Zimbabwe against the hosts and
Sri Lanka. India sent an under-strength squad with nine first-choice players either rested or injured. Yadav made his ODI debut in the tournament during India's loss to Zimbabwe, a team ranked tenth by the ICC at the time. Defending a score of 285, Yadav bowled eight wicketless overs while conceding 48 runs. Playing in three matches, Yadav took a single wicket. After the tri-series in Zimbabwe, Yadav returned to the fringes of the team. He was included as a practice bowler when India toured Sri Lanka in July to gain experience of bowling to
Test batsmen. He would have to wait until October 2011 before his next international match. After India toured South Africa in
December 2010, Yadav was dropped out of the national squad. Yadav returned to the national set-up in September 2011 for a
five-match ODI series against
England. he managed four wickets at an
average of 38.25 from three matches. When the
West Indies toured in November 2011, the Indian selectors opted to change the team's fast bowlers.
Sreesanth and
Praveen Kumar were left out of the squad and Yadav and
Varun Aaron were chosen based on their performances in the ODIs against England earlier that year. Yadav made his Test debut in the first match and opened the bowling alongside
Ishant Sharma in the first innings, though failed to take a wicket. In the second innings, the
spinners opened the bowling and Yadav took two wickets for 36 runs (2/36) to help India to a five-wicket victory. Yadav was the first cricketer to play for Vidarbha who went on the play Test cricket. and Yadav finished with nine wickets in the series, the most amongst India's fast bowlers and less than half the total of either of the team's spinners. In the
five-match ODI series that followed, he managed six wickets at an average of 24.33 from three appearances. Yadav was selected as one of India's pace bowlers for their
tour of Australia in 2011–12. He played in all four Tests, taking 14 wickets at an average of 39.35 as India lost the series 4–0. In the third Test at the
WACA Ground in
Perth, he took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket, with figures of 5/93 in Australia's first and only innings. In the triangular ODI series with Australia and Sri Lanka that followed, Yadav managed 5 wickets from 6 matches at an average of 59.80. In May 2013, Umesh was named in India's 15 member squad for the
2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He didn't have a great tournament as he had picked up just 4 wickets from all the 5 matches that he played in the tournament. In December 2014, Umesh was named in India's 20 member squad for the
2015 Cricket World Cup. He was India's highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 18 wickets from 8 matches and was also the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament. In May 2021, Umesh was named in India's 20 member Test squad for India's
World Test Championship final against New Zealand and for India's 4 match Test series
against England. ==Bowling style==