After picking up his maiden Test wicket, Mukesh Kumar has said he can’t quite describe the emotions he felt when former skipper Virat Kohli rushed to hug the debutant. Mukesh, who is making his debut a few months before his 30th birthday, is a late bloomer and has had to come up the ranks, proving his mettle right from Bengal U-23 to India A in the last seven years. And Muskesh, much like millions of people, has watched Kohli rack up runs and has been an admirer of the modern maestro.
“When I got the wicket, Virat bhaiya ran up and hugged me. I was in a different world. The man I have watched all these years on TV and looked up to is hugging you. It felt great,” a beaming Mukesh told his senior pace bowling partner (younger in age though) Mohammed Siraj in an interaction for BCCI.TV.
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“When you (Siraj) and JD (Unadkat) bhai were bowling, Rohit bhai said ‘it’s not a pitch where you can get wickets instantly. You need to work hard’. I had to set up the batter with consistent bowling,” said Mukesh, who ended the first innings with figures of 18-6-48-2 on a flat lifeless deck.
“When I came to know that I would be playing, I was shocked and actually completely zoned out. Whether I play or not, I am always prepared, so I went to the team meeting, keeping in mind that I needed to follow my process. But there was some gut feeling that I might play,” said the Bengal seamer, describing the moment he was told he’d be making his debut.
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