WTC 2021 Final: I see it as healthy competition- Umesh Yadav on upcoming fast bowlers in Indian team

Umesh Yadav is with Indian team on tour of England for WTC final and England Test series.

India pacer Umesh Yadav finally got to practice outdoors as the Indian team finished their 3-day hard quarantine in Southampton and began prep for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship Final against New Zealand.

Umesh was last seen in action during India’s tour of Australia, where he suffered an injury in the second Test match in MCG and missed the home Test series against England as he was rehabbing. In the IPL 2021, for Delhi Capitals, he didn't get starts in the seven matches in the first phase.

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The 33-year-old Umesh Yadav is facing competition not only from his own body, but also from the young and exciting pacers that helped India win the Test series in Australia in absence of front-line fast bowlers.

He is consistently up for an extreme battle as he says sound rivalry is acceptable. 

“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 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 told Times of India.   

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“In sports, you can’t crib about how many chances you have got. When you represent your country, the team and selectors expect you to keep performing. There was a period of three-four years when I played all formats. Then I got sporadic chances. There will be new people coming in. There will be new bowlers who will get in with better performances, “he added.

Furthermore, Umesh Yadav called the upcoming ICC WTC final, a World Cup final for him and other players in the Indian team, who exclusively play red-ball cricket.

“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,” he concluded.

(Times of India inputs)