"The most impressive of the lot" - Zaheer Khan reserves high praise for Mukesh Kumar
Zaheer Khan lavished praise on Team India pacer Mukesh Kumar following his impressive bowling exploits in the first two games of the ongoing five-match home T20I series against Australia.
Zaheer reckoned that Mukesh has been a standout performer in the series, doing a commendable job with the ball at the death. Speaking after India's 44-run win over Australia in the second T20I on Sunday, Zaheer told Cricbuzz:
"Mukesh Kumar is the most impressive of the lot. There's no doubt about it. You get the feeling that he's been preparing for this kind of role. He's very clear with his thought process; he knows that he'll be bowling those tough overs at the back end, and those yorkers are coming out very nicely.
"He consistently bowled those yorkers, even in the previous game. Once you are backing game after game, that shows that you're growing in confidence."
Mukesh Kumar was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the T20I series opener, conceding just 29 runs from four overs in the high-scoring encounter. While he was a bit expensive in the subsequent contest, he picked up the crucial wicket of well-set Marcus Stoinis.
The Men in Blue successfully defended a mammoth 235-run total to clinch a 44-run victory over Australia on Sunday.
Zaheer Khan also highlighted how the team management is preparing left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh as a death-over specialist. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav backed Arshdeep to bowl the tough overs by holding him for the back end.
"The captain holding his (Arshdeep's) three overs for later shows that he is their go-to bowler. You don't want to use his overs upfront. You want to put that responsibility on him," Zaheer remarked.
Suryakumar Yadav and company lead the five-match series 2-0 following their back-to-back wins in Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram.
"Something that always gives you confidence" - Zaheer Khan on Prasidh Krishna's 3-wicket haul in 2nd T20I
Zaheer Khan also lauded pacer Prasidh Krishna for making amends with a three-wicket haul in the second T20I after enduring an ordinary outing in the opening encounter.
The cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that this performance would boost Prasidh's confidence significantly.
"Prasidh Krishna having a tough game in the first one, coming back here and taking wickets," Zaheer Khan continued. "Taking wickets is something that always gives you confidence. Full and fast, a batter, if you're going to miss, I'm going to hit. Bowlers thinking to take wickets, especially in defending these big totals on a tough pitch, is something which you always look for."
India and Australia will lock horns in the third T20I of their series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, November 28.