"Bumrah bhai keeps advising me on the yorker" - Mukesh Kumar on improving his bowling skillset for white-ball cricket
Team India pacer Mukesh Kumar has rapidly emerged from a domestic stalwart to an all-format campaigner for the national team. The right-arm bowler made his debut across all formats during the tour of the Caribbean in 2023 and has been doing well to cement his place in the squad for the time being.
Mukesh has an excellent opportunity to make his home Test debut during the upcoming series against England, with Mohammed Shami ruled out due to injury, at least for the initial phase. Team India will be keen on rotating the pacers across the lengthy series, giving all fast bowlers a solid chance to feature at some phase of the five-match affair.
While there has been no question over his red-ball credentials, he had to work on his white-ball game, and it all began when the Delhi Capitals (DC) roped him in during the IPL mini-auction after a successful spell as a net bowler.
“Bumrah bhai keeps advising me on the yorker in particular. He says, ‘Tu bahut acchha yorker daalta hai. Jo kar raha hai, bas wahi karta jaa’ (You bowl the yorker well. Just keep doing what you have been). We talk quite regularly and he gives me other suggestions as well, which are obviously invaluable," Mukesh Kumar said in an interaction with Telegraph India.
The pacer made his presence felt in the 2023 IPL with his performances, leading to his international debut. Mukesh has impressed quite a few people with his death bowling, particularly the composure that he shows as well as his near-perfect execution.
He had defended 13 runs in the final over for DC in their tense win over the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), and he was recently handed the final over as well as the Super Over in the third T20I against Afghanistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
"In Cape Town, Bumrah bhai was telling me to keep bowling those dot balls" - Mukesh Kumar
After missing out on the first Test against South Africa in Centurion, Mukesh Kumar was added as the fourth seamer for the second Test in Newlands, Cape Town. Even though the spotlight was on the carnage from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah across both innings of what turned out to be the shortest Test in history, the 30-year-old also played his part to perfection in the proceedings.
The pacer returned with figures of 2-0 and 2-56 in the Test, and he was also responsible for dismissing Dean Elgar for the last time in international cricket.
Mukesh spoke about the chemistry that the pace bowling attack shares, and compared it to the one he has in place with the Bengal pacers on the domestic circuit.
"The process is quite similar to what myself, Akash (Deep) and Ishan Porel used to do in Bengal. Here also we discuss our respective roles: who will go on all-out attack and who focuses on keeping things tight with maiden overs. In Cape Town, Bumrahbhai was telling me to keep bowling those dot balls as that would add to their (Proteas) pressure (in the second innings). Such was the situation that I had to bowl those, which eventually proved to be beneficial for the team," Mukesh said.
Will the improving pacer find a place in the 2024 T20 World Cup squad? Let us know what you think.