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Cricket PlayersBCCI, Rohit Sharma reveal India were forced to hand debut to Mukesh Kumar in 2nd Test vs West Indies as Shardul injured
Shardul Thakur's injury opened up the door for Mukesh Kumar, who made his debut in India vs West Indies 2nd Test.
Mukesh Kumar, the Bengal pacer, was handed his Test cap ahead of the second match against West Indies on Thursday at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Mukesh replaced Shardul Thakur, who BCCI said was not available for selection due to an injury. "Shardul Thakur was not available for selection for the 2nd Test due to a sore left groin," BCCI said right after the toss. Shardul's injury, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise for both India and Mukesh Kumar.
The right-arm pacer had managed to break into the Indian Test side even before but didn't get to play a game. This was perhaps the last Test where India could get a look at him before their next assignment against South Africa five months later.
Who is Mukesh Kumar?
In the 39 first-class matches that he has played so far, Mukesh has picked up 149 wickets at an impressive average of 21.55.
After playing a key role in taking Bengal to two Ranji Trophy finals in the last three seasons, Mukesh found himself in the India A team. There too he impressed one and all with five-wicket hauls against New Zealand A and Bangladesh A. He has taken 18 wickets at an average of 17.50 for India A.
Mukesh, who was born in Gopalganj, Bihar, made his IPL debut for the Delhi Capitals in 2023. In the 10 matches that he played for DC, he picked up 7 wickets.
He is known to be a workhorse in domestic cricket and someone who can bowl on one spot over after over in tough conditions.
"Unfortunately, Shadul has pulled up. He is not fit. Mukesh Kumar will make his debut. A very talented guy, who has worked really hard in domestic cricket. So hopefully, we can get behind him," Rohit said after the toss, which West Indies won and opted to bowl first.
Mukesh Kumar not the only debutant in India vs West Indies 2nd Test
Mukesh was not the only debutant in the series-deciding second Test match. Spin-bowling al-rounder Kirk McKenzie was handed his Test cap. He replaced Raymon Reifer while veteran pacer Shannon Gabriel came into the side in place of Rahkeem Cornwall who had had some health issues during the series opener.
“Kirk McKenzie makes his debut today, he's ready and raring to go. Bowling-wise we were decent. The first game is gone, we got to be mentally ready for the challenge. We had a few chats, we got to believe in ourselves,” said West Indies captain Brathwaite.
Virat Kohli's 500th match and 100th Test between India and West Indies
This Test match is also a historic one for more reasons than one. It is the 100th Test match between the two great cricket nations and also marks the 500th international match for Virat Kohli.
The captains and players of West Indies and India were felicitated ahead of the start of the match on Thursday.
“What really makes this rivalry special is the fans. Even if they are not able to come to watch the matches, they still talk about Test cricket. I haven't played here in 12 years and still some of them meet me, remind me about my stats and make me feel good,” said India head coach Rahul Dravid.
“It's a historic moment. There is so much history between the two teams. Over the years, we have seen some really cricket be it in India or in West Indies. I made my debut against them. We hope we can continue the legacy of the former players,” said India captain Rohit Sharma.
