[Watch] Mukesh Kumar receives cap in 100th India-West Indies Test
Team India has handed a debut cap to Mukesh Kumar during the second Test against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Thursday, July 20.
The Men in Blue had to make a forced change to their winning combination from the last Test in Dominica. All-rounder Shardul Thakur missed out due to a sore left groin.
Mukesh became India's third debutant in two Test matches now after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a short clip of the Indian seamer receiving his maiden cap from senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
"A day to remember! 😊 A moment to cherish for #TeamIndia's newest debutant - Mukesh Kumar 👏," the BCCI captioned the video.
A day to remember! 😊
A moment to cherish for #TeamIndia's newest debutant - Mukesh Kumar 👏
#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/mULZ0Ro3PH
Mukesh Kumar has been knocking on the doors of the Indian team for quite some time now. The Bengal pacer has played 39 first-class matches and has picked up 149 wickets at an average of 21.55.
The right-arm pacer scalped 22 wickets in five matches during the last edition of the Ranji Trophy. He played a pivotal role behind Bengal's run till the final where they lost to Saurashtra at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Mukesh also made his Indian Premier League debut in 2023 for the Delhi Capitals (DC) and picked up seven wickets in 10 matches.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal give India a solid start
West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bowl first at the Queen's Park Oval. However, his decision backfired as Indian openers piled up runs to put the home side on the backfoot.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal carried on their rich form from the last game and scored individual half-centuries to add 139 runs for the first wicket. This is the first time an Indian opening pair has shared two consecutive 100-run stands since 1999. Sadagoppan Ramesh and Devang Gandhi achieved the feat against New Zealand.
However, just when it looked like Jaiswal is set for another hundred, Jason Holder drew the first blood for the hosts. At the time of writing, India were well-placed at 149/1 with Rohit Sharma (78*) and Shubman Gill (6*) in the middle.