After nearly 18 years with Vidarbha, Umesh Yadav, one of India's quickest fast bowlers, made a blistering comeback for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy opener against Assam with a five-wicket haul. He returned with figures of 5 for 70 in 24 overs and helped Punjab bowl out Assam for 373. At the end of third-day play, Punjab are reasonably placed, trailing Assam by 86 runs with five wickets in hand. Ahead of the Ranji Trophy opener, Umesh Yadav spoke exclusively with Sports Now and opened up about the uncertainty, the demands of recovering from major surgery, and the support he believes he lacked at Vidarbha. Now with Punjab, he makes a straightforward case: judge him by his fitness and performance, and tell him clearly where he stands. "Look, I don't think it's ever too late. It depends. I feel any selections should be based on a player's performance and fitness, not age criteria. Because if you feel that a guy's age is 37 or 38, and he can't run or bowl, then it's okay to say straightforwardly, 'Brother, you can't do it anymore; neither is your ball doing the talking, nor are you bowling as fast, and in the field too, you don't look as fit as you used to.' You can say that straight away," the 38-year-old said when asked about his India comeback. Talking about his injury and the lack of clarity after he recovered, Umesh said, "What happens when you are playing and suddenly you suffer injuries, because many people get injured? You mentioned 2023, which was my last WTC match. Yes, I had a slight hamstring issue in that match, but I didn't go off the field. I bowled all my allotted overs, and nobody can say I bowled slowly, that my rhythm was off, or that I was just nudging and nurdling the ball. Yes, after that injury, they told me I was injured, and because of that, they dropped me for the next assignment. But for subsequent selections, I was told I still met their criteria, and if a need or chance arose, they would definitely call me. That year too, I played the entire Ranji Trophy season, ODI and T20 cricket, but my chances didn't materialise—even though they should have." "But all that clarity was missing, because the main problem right here is communication. Without communication, problems start, because you can drop any player by giving a proper reason or explaining things; you can tell them, 'These are the issues, and we are looking at such and such guys this time.' You can say that. But telling someone, 'We are still looking at you; just keep playing cricket, do well, and as the need arises we will definitely select you,' and then there is no communication afterward... then it straight away becomes clear to you that perhaps those chances are not going to materialise anymore," he pointed out. "So as a player, I only think that whatever happens should be clear, communicated properly with the player, and they shouldn't be judged by age. If your fitness is good and you are still bowling in that rhythm and flow, what is the problem? Because players from other countries are playing at this age and doing quite well. But fitness should be the main thing. After that, if they feel your fitness is not up to the mark, then fine, fair enough! I can't compete with the young guys or the new bowlers and batsmen coming in, so I think my time is up, and I should think about what to do next. But if you're fit, performing well, and everything is great, why should there be this gap? There shouldn't be," the Punjab pacer questioned. The conversation then turned to Mohammed Shami, another experienced fast bowler whose comeback to the national team has been a topic of discussion on social media and among former cricketers. For Umesh, their journeys underline the importance of support during rehabilitation—and honest communication when a player is trying to return. "We just talked about this. I said, yes, if something is going on in your mind, if you, as a selector, have thought of something, pass it on to the player. That's much better than not communicating and leaving them unsure whether you'll select them. Just speak clearly; that's much better than living in false hope that it will happen. If things are crystal clear, you can choose a better next step. But everyone knows—who doesn't want to represent their country again, who doesn't want to see their comeback?" he admitted. "And as you mentioned Shami's injury and mine: Shami had an Achilles tendon issue where 20% was affected, along with a little heel bone injury at the back. Mine was 50%; it ruptured and tore apart, and had to be stitched back together with grafting. After that, when I made a comeback, it took me a full year just doing rehab. Because during rehab, one or two other niggles crop up that you might not even know about. But all those things happened. Still, Shami came back and played, but he got support from his state, whereas I got the opposite," Umesh explained. "When I came back, I didn't get that kind of support and backup from there that should have been giv