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Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar was one of the main reasons for his team's run to the semi-final of the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season. He ended up as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the team, with 20 scalps to his name in just five games.
However, back in 2014, Kumar was nowhere near the Bengal setup. This makes his rise in such a short time even more inspirational, with the pacer's name doing the rounds after he was signed by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2023 Auction.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Mukesh Kumar opened up on his early cricketing days, how he got into the Bengal team, and much more:
Mukesh Kumar's early cricketing days
Like many youngsters growing up, Mukesh Kumar also played tennis-ball cricket and his family, particularly his late father, looked at it as a leisure activity. However, Kumar was convinced that he wanted to pursue cricket professionally.
His father was a taxi driver, and both of them were initially away from Kolkata, where the rest of their family resided. The 28-year-old opened up about how he purposely failed the fitness test to get enrolled in the army so that he could continue to play cricket.
He said:
"I used to play a lot of tennis ball cricket here and there. So my father used to ask me, "What are your intentions? Till when are you going to play like this?" because job was also important. So before moving to Kolkata, I had enrolled myself 2-3 times for the fitness test into the army. But I failed in it purposely because I wanted to play cricket."
Although Mukesh Kumar had a burning desire to pursue cricket professionally, he didn't quite know how to get to the next level and play consistently with the leather ball. After shifting to Kolkata, the pacer had to play club cricket to keep his drive alive.
On this, he asserted:
"My sister, father and my friends (Bablu and Kallu Bhai) used to stay in Kolkata. They urged me to come to Kolkata and try to play from there. One of my friends took me to Bani Niketan club. It was a second-division club and after the trials there I played a season and picked up 10-12 wickets."
He added:
"Then I was told that Sripur Cricket Club wanted to play me, which was a first-division club. So I used to play club cricket, but deep down I wanted to go to the higher trials and prove what I am capable of."
The Vision 2020 trial
The big break that was waiting to happen in Mukesh Kumar's life came in the form of the Vision 2020 trial. This was a trial where several bowlers from all over the state were called to showcase their skills in front of former Pakistan legend Waqar Younis and former Bengal stalwart Ranadeb Bose.
Kumar's initial experience with the trial wasn't the best as he didn't make a great first impression in front of Bose.
He recalled:
"So my coach at Sripur Cricket Club, Mr. Birender Singh, was the one who told me about 'Vision 2020' and gave my name for the trials. My name was among the last few players in the list and I had gone to the washroom."
Kumar added:
"But when I came back, I saw that there was a cross besides my name. I saw all the boys who were with me were bowling. I informed Ranadeb Bose sir that I too had come to bowl. He asked me where I was. So when I told him I was in the washroom, he said "Then go, stay in the washroom only."
But there was another former Bengal cricketer, Joydeep Mukherjee, who was present there. After a consultation with him and Waqar, Bose handed an old ball to Kumar. The pacer made the most of the opportunity by bowling an incredible inswinging yorker as his first delivery.
On this, Mukesh Kumar said:
"After a few seconds of thinking, he spoke to Joydeep Mukherjee sir and gave me the ball. As I got to my run-up, Waqar Younis sir, Ranadeb sir and Joydeep sir were standing behind me. I was bowling after about a month and the leather ball is obviously heavier than tennis ball."
He further continued:
"But the first delivery that I bowled was on pace and was an inswinging Yorker with the old ball. The batter ended up falling on the ground and looking at that, Waqar sir gave a nod of affirmation. So they changed the red mark besides my name into a tick and that's where my journey began."
Mukesh Kumar on Waqar Younis' inspirational story
Although Mukesh Kumar impressed the stalwarts with his bowling, upon checkup, it was known that he suffered from malnutrition. This is when the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) took great care of him and enrolled him in a dormitory in Eden Gardens.
On this, the 28-year-old said:
"They gave me an accommodation in the dormitory at the Eden Gardens. I was told to look after my fitness and all of my nutrition was taken care of by the canteen in the stadium."
Mukesh Kumar also spoke about how the pep talk that Waqar Younis gave during one of his visits to the stadium motivated the pacer to work even harder on his skills.
He continued:
"One day, Waqar Sir came just as he used to once a week to see how the boys were practicing. So he began to tell a story about how he came from a small village in Pakistan and how he was neglected but he never gave up and continued to hustle until he achieved success."
He added:
"I could relate to this story as I myself was from a small village and I felt motivated that if a star like Waqar Younis is saying this then definitely I should try and give my best."
Mukesh Kumar is still going strong and is probably in his prime. He would definitely like to help Bengal go one step further than what they did in 2020 to win that elusive Ranji Trophy title.
