India WTC final squad: All you need to know about standby player Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar is included in India's standby players list for ICC World Test Championship final.

India have announced a list of 3 players on standby for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, which includes Mukesh Kumar, a fast bowler from Bengal who is yet to make his national team debut despite being part of previous Indian squads. Mukesh has established himself as Bengal's attack leader and earned his first national call-up in October 2022 for the home ODIs against South Africa. With an impressive record in the red-ball format, having taken 149 wickets including six five-wicket hauls at an average of 21.55 since his first-class debut in 2015.

Mukesh's talent was recognized in the 2019/20 Ranji Trophy season, where he played a crucial role in Bengal's journey to the final by taking 32 wickets in 10 matches, including a six-wicket haul in the semi-final against Karnataka. Following this performance, he was called up to the India A team for the unofficial Tests against New Zealand A in September 2022, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker with nine scalps, including a five-wicket haul in the first unofficial Test. He further impressed with a six-wicket haul for India A against Bangladesh in Sylhet in December of the same year.

Mukesh was bought for a whopping INR 5.5 crore by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2023 auctions and has played 8 matches in the ongoing season, taking six wickets. Currently, he is on the standby list for the World Test Championship final squad along with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Suryakumar Yadav. However, with growing concerns over the injuries to Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, who are being monitored by the BCCI medical team, Mukesh could potentially be included in the main squad for the final next month.