'Ask Anybody, They'll Tell You Mukesh is born for Test Cricket': Veteran IND Keeper Praises Bengal Pacer

Bengal’s Mukesh Kumar fulfilled his dream of playing for India on Caribbean soil as he received his debut cap in the second India vs West Indies Test in Trinidad. The absence of injured Shardul Thakur created an opportunity for Mukesh which he grabbed with both hands. After India posted a mammoth 438, the bowlers took charge and picked up 5 West Indies wickets by the end of the third day with Mukesh also making a notable contribution.

The debutant claimed his maiden Test wicket, removing Kirk McKenzie for 32 and providing India with a crucial breakthrough. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on Mukesh Kumar and said that the pacer’s debut is a great success story for the country’s domestic cricket.

“Mukesh Kumar, what a lovely story. Coming from a very humble background, a great success story for our domestic cricket. You ask anybody in the domestic circuit, they will tell you Mukesh Kumar is born for Test cricket,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“Bowling those long overs, he is somebody if there is a little bit in the wicket, you can ask anybody who has played domestic cricket, he is a handful to deal with. On this pitch, even though there was not much, you could see how domestic cricket has helped him,” he added.

Though veteran spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja did the bulk of the bowling on Saturday, Mukesh showed enough on debut through 14 overs to show he has a future in red-ball cricket as he got the wicket of McKenzie and then was entrusted to partner Mohammed Siraj with the second new ball later in the day.

West Indies finished at 229/5 at stumps on a rain-interrupted Day 3, and still trailing India by 209 runs.