Ganguly Believes Mukesh Deserves More Opportunities
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has shown strong support for Mukesh Kumar, believing that the fast bowler has what it takes to excel in all formats of international cricket. Despite limited chances so far, Ganguly feels Mukesh’s consistency and adaptability make him a valuable asset.
Speaking about the pacer’s potential inclusion in upcoming squads, Ganguly said:
“𝑴𝒖𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒉 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓. 𝑯𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.”
Ganguly highlighted that with no Test matches in the immediate future, Mukesh could be a good option for the T20I series or even the Asia Cup. He urged the bowler to stay calm and remain patient.
“𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒔. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 – 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕,” 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝑮𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒚, 𝒂𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑻𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚.
Mukesh’s Recent Performances and Disappointment
Mukesh recently impressed in the first unofficial Test against England Lions, where he took 3 wickets for 92 runs in 25 overs. However, he was rested for the second match to allow other players in the India A squad to get match time. Despite his strong showing, he was not selected for the senior Test team for the five-match series against England.
After being left out, Mukesh posted a cryptic Instagram story that read:
“𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌.”
This hinted at his frustration over the snub.
A Look at Mukesh’s International Career
Mukesh Kumar has played three Tests, six ODIs, and 17 T20Is for India so far. Remarkably, all his international debuts came within a month during India’s all-format tour of the West Indies in 2023. However, it has been over a year since the 31-year-old last featured in an international game.
As selectors look ahead to the Asia Cup and upcoming T20Is, Ganguly’s words might just reignite hope for Mukesh’s return to the Indian squad.
Also Read: Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill: “It’s Only His First Series – He Will Learn”
