When the BCCI announced the squads of Tests and ODIs for India's upcoming tour of the West Indies, there were quite a few shocks and surprises.
Among the surprises section, there was the inclusion of Mukesh Kumar, whose recent domestic cricket success leapfrogged him into both squads.
In an interview recently, Kumar reminisced about some invaluable advice shared with him by former India captain MS Dhoni, wherein he was told to do exactly what he wants to do.
Mukesh shared an instance when he got the chance to meet Dhoni during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and took the opportunity to ask him questions.
Mukesh said, "I always wanted to meet Dhoni bhaiya and ask him a couple of things. This happened because of the IPL. I met him and the first thing I asked him was – ‘ek captain aur wicketkeeper hote hue aap apne bowlers ko kya batate ho’ (What exactly do you tell your bowlers as a captain and wicketkeeper?)
He put his hands around my shoulders and said, ‘I tell this to every bowler that till the time you won’t try, you won’t learn.' He said you need to do exactly what you want to do. If you won’t, you will not learn. He said to forget the outcome, and just go and try. He explained this thing really well to me,” he added.
Mukesh caught the eye of the selectors with impressive performances during the 2022 Ranji Trophy, where he claimed 22 wickets for Bengal, helping his team reach the final.
In the previous season of the IPL, he was one of the net bowlers for the Delhi Capitals, but made it to the team this season, claiming seven wickets in 10 matches.
