India in West Indies: We, Bowlers, Push Each Other to Excel, Says Umesh Yadav

India, after the third day against West Indies in the Antigua Test, are clearly on top and are nine wickets away from a taking a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

After batsmen's stellar show which helped India pile up 566/8d, the bowler's did their job by dismissing West Indies for 243 in the first innings. After enforcing follow-on, the visiors took scalped a wicket of the hosts and are poised for a thumping win.

Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav picked four wickets each for India in the first innings, with Amit Mishra chipping in with two wickets.

Umesh, after a satisfactory performance, said that Indian bowlers gave confidence to each other, which brought out the best in them.

"We always give that kind of confidence to each other, always we are pushing [each other]. Whenever things are a little difficult, we need to push our friend or team-mate a little bit, and lift them," he said, after the third day's play.

"When we see, for example, that [Mohammed] Shami is bowling very well but he's not getting wickets, my job is, I go to him and say, 'Shami, you're bowling very well, keep going.' Because I know that if someone is bowling well from one end, then it helps the person at the second end, so if we don't plan and bowl as a combination, it becomes difficult for us. Main thing is, you push each other and complement each other, and recognise that, 'yeah, it's not my day today [to take wickets], it's your day'."

'For Indian bowlers total was 350'

The fast bowler added that though the batsmen had given them a big total to defend, they did not take it that way.

"We don't look at it like we have 566," he said. "We look at it like we have only made 350, and the earlier we bowl them out, the better it is for us in the second innings. Our effort was that, if we got them out by the end of today, we would have two more days to bowl them out again."

Umesh, who has played 17 Tests since making his debut in 2011, said their plan was to bowl as many maidens as possible.

"When we came to the ground and saw the wicket, we realised we won't get wickets where the ball will seam or swing. We knew the conditions would be pretty hard, especially because it was going to be hot as well.

"The main thing we planned was to bowl as many maidens as possible, and not give easy boundaries. Whether it's the coach [Anil Kumble] or Virat [Kohli, the captain], the whole team sits and discusses the same thing, that it won't be easy to take 20 wickets, and so it becomes very important to plan. And it can't end there. If it's said in the meeting that we have to bowl maidens, then we have to bowl maidens, because we know we won't take 20 wickets otherwise," he said.

'No doubt about Shami's abilities'

Umesh's fellow pace counterpart Shami, playing his first Test in over a year-and-a-half after returning from a long-term knee injury, also completed 50 Test-wicket haul on the third day.

"There was no doubt about it, because he's a natural bowler. We never thought he'll struggle. If he struggled, it was only until he had recovered from his injury. No one has to tell him, bowl here, bowl like this. He's a smart bowler, he's got everything - outswing, inswing, bouncers," Umesh said.