Pacer Mukesh Kumar was not included in India's playing XI for the first Test against South Africa in Centurion. However, he seized the opportunity in the second Test at Newlands Stadium, Cape Town. He expressed satisfaction with his performance, meeting the expectations of the team management by fulfilling his assigned role.
In the second Test, India secured a seven-wicket victory, levelling the two-match series at 1-1. While Jasprit Bumrah's 6/61 in the third innings and Mohammed Siraj's 6/15 in the first innings showcased India's bowling prowess, Mukesh emerged as the team's third-best seamer, claiming four wickets in the match. Mukesh, replacing Shardul Thakur for the second Test, demonstrated what India had missed out on in the first Test.
The 30-year-old looked back at how he did in the Test match and appeared satisfied with his bowling in Cape Town.
"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 PTI.
Mukesh, who debuted in Test cricket for India during the series against West Indies in July 2023, was participating in only his second Test match. The fast bowler demonstrated his grasp of the game, discussing the need for bowlers to adapt to varying conditions. He specifically addressed the distinctions between bowling on Indian pitches and South African pitches, shedding light on the strategies employed by Indian bowlers when playing on foreign soil.
"There's a lot of difference between bowling on these kinds of tracks as compared to Indian pitches," said Mukesh.
"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 would bowl between 6 and 8 metres length (back of length). And since there is a lot of bounce on offer, you can get wickets," Mukesh added.
Following their defeat in the first Test by an innings and 32 runs, the Indian team participated in a rigorous practice session. Mukesh spent an hour bowling to captain Rohit in the nets, where he shared the advice Rohit had given him.
"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."
The bowler is optimistic about being selected for India's squad in the five-match Test series against England, commencing on January 25 in Hyderabad.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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