Bengal and Delhi Capitals pace bowler Mukesh Kumar received his first national call-up for the West Indies tour, which is all set to begin on 12 July. Kumar, who has been the best pacer for Bengal for quite some time now did well in his debut season in the Indian Premier League. Kumar picked 7 wickets from 10 IPL matches and won Delhi their match against SunRisers Hyderabad as well.
Speaking to Times of India, Mukesh Kumar 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 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.”
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He, however, thanked Delhi Capitals for the opportunities given to him in the Indian Premier League and he has also said that he was helped a lot by veteran Ishant Sharma, who also made a comeback into the IPL after sitting out in the previous season as well.
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“I am really thankful to Delhi Capitals for giving me the opportunity. IPL was a good learning experience. Ahead of the IPL, I spoke to Ranadeb bhaiya (Ranadeb Bose). He told me how to handle the pressure. Ishant (Sharma) bhaiya has helped me a lot. Bowl like this, try and deliver the ball from this angle, try and hit this spot on the pitch – all these things he taught me. He asked me develop as many skills in my bowling as possible,” Mukesh Kumar concluded.
