Who is Mukesh Kumar? All you need to know about India's 308th Test cricketer

Fast bowler from Gopalganj, Bihar, Mukesh Kumar has become 308th player to represent India in whites.

Hailing from a small village called Gopalganj in Bihar, Mukesh Kumar has been playing in local matches right from his small age, but he had to move to Kolkata to help his father's dying taxi business in 2012. 

He continued to play in local matches and earned by playing in the second league. At times, Mukesh Kumar would travel to nearby states, like Baroda to play in matches. His father gave him one year to practice cricket. If he could not succeed, he had to join his father's business full-time. 

The turning point in Mukesh Kumar's career

After not being picked by the Indian army, Mukesh Kumar was tried in trials in Kolkata. At that time, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) were organizing a programme called the 'Vision 2020 Programme' in search of a new bunch of talented cricketers. 

The legendary cricketers VVS Laxman, Waqar Younis and Muttiah Muralitharan led the Vision 2020 Programme in Kolkata. Mukesh Kumar was spotted by Bengal coach and former player Ranadeb Bose. 

Since then, he has been a part of Bengal's equation. While he got injured in the initial season, he got better to feature in the next. For the past ten years, he has been one of the top bowlers for Bengal.

Mukesh Kumar's unforgettable season

The pacer's best season came in 2019/20 when he grabbed 32 wickets in 10 matches, including a six-fer against Karnataka in the semi-final. He dismissed top players like KL Rahul and Manish Pandey to finish with eight wickets in the match, helping Bengal to reach the final. 

His performance made heads turn, and he was picked for the A squad against New Zealand A. He bagged a fifer in the series and soon, earned his international call-up in 2022. 

In the IPL 2023 auction, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings had a bidding war for Mukesh Kumar. In the end, Delhi Capitals bought him for INR 5.5 Crore. The pacer featured in ten matches and bagged seven wickets at an economy rate of 10.52.

In 2023, Mukesh Kumar was selected as a net bowler for the World Test Championships (WTC) in England. He then made it to the Test squad of India's tour to the West Indies.

On 20th July, 2023, Mukesh Kumar has become 308th cricketer to represent India in whites. He has also been included in India's squads for the ODI and T20I series against West Indies. It will be interesting to see if he receives the caps in other two formats as well.