Mukesh Kumar was sidelined for the opening Test against South Africa in Centurion, where the Indian team suffered an innings and 32-run defeat.
The right-arm seamer got his chance in the second Test at Newlands and he did prove his worth to script India’s series-levelling seven-wicket victory.
While Mohammed Siraj (7 wickets) and Jasprit Bumrah (8 wickets) did the bulk of the damage, Mukesh played the role of a third seamer to perfection with four scalps, which included two top-order dismissals in the second innings.
“I think I have been able to fulfil the role assigned by the team management. I am satisfied with my bowling and best part is that I have worked hard and tried my best,” Mukesh told reporters about his performance in the Cape Town Test.
A smart operator, Mukesh had quickly realized that he can’t bowl too full on South African tracks.
“There’s a lot of difference between bowling on these kind of tracks compared to Indian pitches,” he stated.
“In India, when you try to bowl fuller length the ball moves in the air, but here, if you try to bowl too full, you get smashed.
“So we decided that we will bowl between 6 to 8 metre length (back of length). And since there is lot of bounce on offer you can get wickets,” he elaborated.
Two days after India’s Centurion Test defeat, Mukesh Kumar bowled to skipper Rohit Sharma at the nets for an hour.
When asked what the skipper told him, Mukesh said: “He always tells us about areas to bowl when we seek feedback in the nets. They would tell us ‘if you pitch the ball in this particular length and channel you can trouble us’.”
Last year, Mukesh made his Test, ODI and T20I debuts in the all-format tour of West Indies. Nearly five and half months down the line, he now has the experience of 19 international matches.
“When you play for the country, you need to adapt and adjust to various formats. If you are playing white ball and need to play Test matches after that, then you also simultaneously need to practice with red ball,” Mukesh remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
