Kolkata: Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar, who is in the Indian squad selected for the West Indies tour, initially did not believe that he had got an India call. “Initially, a friend called me up and gave me the news. I was completely surprised. My first reaction was ‘am I the Mukesh Kumar named in the squad. Then I checked the BCCI Twitter account to confirm it was indeed me,” an emotional Mukesh Kumar said Friday.
Consistency for the last two years in the Ranji Trophy and also some match-winning spells for Delhi Capitals in the IPL opened the doors for Mukesh to the Indian team. He was with the Team India as a reserve player in the recently-concluded World Test Championship (WTC). Now, he has finally made it where it matters the most – the Indian team.
“The main target will be to get in the playing XI,” said Mukesh. “And I never stop learning. Staying with such experienced cricketers and a renowned coaching staff led by Rahul Dravid sir will give me the best opportunity to learn. I am very determined to make good use of the chance that I have got,” Mukesh said.
Mukesh informed that hard work has finally got him the coveted goal that he always hoped for. “It is not just me, anyone who gets the chance to play for India will really have to work hard, there is no substitute for it,” Mukesh pointed out.
Mukesh doesn’t want to change anything about his bowling after getting the India call up. “I would like to do what I have been doing till now and have achieved success. In red ball cricket or for that matter in any format the basics of line and length matter the most. I have always been concentrating on that and would like to continue to do so,” Mukesh signed off.