There is healthy competition among bowlers in Team India, says Umesh Yadav

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav has spoken about the healthy competition in the Indian team among the pacers has raised the bar of the Indian pace attack.

Ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand, Umesh has said that the youngsters have been motivated to perform better than the senior pacers, which reflected in India's memorable win Down Under earlier this year.

Throughout his career, Umesh has been considered as a back-up option to the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and then Jasprit Bumrah. With the arrival of Mohammed Siraj in the picture, one could believe that it has only made Umesh's chances of being among India's first-choice pacers in Tests difficult.

"I know a lot of fast bowlers are coming through the ranks. I have been playing for 10 years. I don't see it as pressure. I see it as a healthy competition. When you play with youngsters, they are motivated to perform better than the seniors. We must also ensure we match their standards when it comes to fitness and skills. The seniors and youngsters learn from each other. You need to have good thoughts," Umesh was quoted, as saying in a recent interview.

India are set to face off New Zealand in the inaugural WTC final, starting June 18 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. A win in the grand final would hand Virat Kohli his first ICC trophy as India's captain, while it would be the same for Kane Williamson if the BlackCaps end on the winning side.

"This is indeed like a World Cup for us who have not played white-ball cricket for India for a long time. We are now playing more Test matches these days. The ICC should keep coming up with such initiatives so that more people get interested in Test cricket and the format's popularity keeps growing," added Umesh, who has been playing international cricket for over a decade now.

Many pundits have opined that New Zealand have an upper hand going into the inaugural WTC final, considering they are playing a two-match Test series against England ahead of the WTC fixture.

However, former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has insisted that the variation in the Indian bowling attack will give an edge to Kohli and Co in the final.

"Obviously, conditions will play a role. But the bowling attack India have, it will help them even if conditions remain bright. And if it's sunny throughout, they can even afford to play two spinners. They have that advantage. Even if conditions are damp, I still think India will include one spinner, which could be (Ravichandran) Ashwin as he can contribute well with his batting too. The pitch there (at the Ageas Bowl) does offer turn for spinners, which will be to India's liking," Holding said in an interview.