Mukesh Kumar who made his international debut across all formats on the Caribbean soil earlier this year will be featuring in the five-T20I series against Australia. Mukesh who has three wickets from five T20Is and plays for Delhi Capitals (DC) in Indian Premier League (IPL) wants to make the most of the opportunity.
"I want to regularly play for my country, that will be my first achievement. I want to continue focusing on the processes. I am seeing the results of sticking to them, so, I want to keep focusing and moving forward,” the 30-year-old pacer told Jio Cinema.
Mukesh feels that the intensity of IPL encounters has helped him prepare for international cricket.
"IPL produces the toughest matches. All teams are filled with international players and that too, they are amongst the best. To play on this stage is really very tough and a very good experience for me,” Mukesh said.
The Bengal pacer shared the dressing room with Ishant Sharma at the Delhi franchise. He lauded the veteran pacer for simplifying things to him.
"As far as the role of Ishant bhaiya (Sharma) is concerned, he supported me a lot. He explained my role in the team very clearly, so I just wanted to be honest with what I was expected to do,” he said.
The feeling of make his international debut alongside stars was a surreal feeling for him. He cherished the conversations with Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
"When I first saw my India teammates, my mind stopped functioning briefly. I thought these were the players I watched on TV till yesterday and today I was getting a chance to warm up and share the dressing room with them,” he said.
"Virat (Kohli) bhai told me I was bowling well. Rohit (Sharma) bhai, too, came and spoke to me when the practice matches were going on and gave suggestions,” he recalled.
However, life several other cricketers, it wasn’t an easy road to international cricket for Mukesh. He went on to reveal that he took up fast bowling as he did not have enough money to get a proper kit for a batter.
"My family would stay in Kolkata but I wouldn’t stay there. I would keep travelling to play tennis ball cricket which would fetch me about Rs 500 per match,” he said.
"Suddenly, there was a phase when my father insisted that I should stay with the family. I was looking for a job and my father asked me to look out for cricketing opportunities in Kolkata. I got a chance to play in the First Division after giving trials.”
“We did not have that much money for me to purchase a full kit. I used to bat also earlier, but I shifted focus to bowling because of the lack of money,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav-led India will take on Matthew Wade’s Australia on November 23 in Visakhapatnam.
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