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'He Is Going To Be...,' Zaheer Khan Predicts Mukesh Kumar's Long-Term Presence

image-lki30aijMukesh Kumar bagged two wickets in his debut Test. (Twitter)

Legendary Indian seamer Zaheer Khan has showered praise on Mukesh Kumar, following his impressive debut against West Indies in the second Test at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain. Playing his first Test, Mukesh impressed with two wickets in the first innings. 

His remarkable performance earned him a promotion to open the bowling alongside Mohammed Siraj in the second innings, although he couldn't secure any wickets in the limited overs he bowled during the second essay.

Speaking on JioCinema, Zaheer Khan expressed his admiration for Mukesh's composed and temperament-driven outing in his debut match. Recognizing India's robust bench strength, Zaheer foresees Mukesh Kumar being an integral part of the team for an extended period.

“He looked good. There's no doubt about it. He had a good outing out there in his first match, was very composed that showed good temperament. And when you're looking at the bench strength of this Indian team, it's looking very solid. You can see say that Mukesh Kumar is going to be around in this set up for a while,” Zaheer Khan said on JioCinema.

However, Zaheer also offered constructive feedback, stating that to achieve greater success at this level, Mukesh needs to add an extra yard of pace to his bowling. He encouraged the young pacer to learn from Mohammed Siraj's example, who delivered a phenomenal five-wicket haul in the first innings at Port of Spain, leading to his first Player of the Match award in Test cricket.

“There is no doubt about that. It's up to him that how he takes things forward now from here and takes his bowling to the next level. I still felt that he needs to add that a yard or to his pace if he has to be really successful at this level, I can take a leaf out of Siraj’s book and how he has gone about doing his business,” Zaheer added.

While India secured victory in the series 1-0, the second Test concluded on level terms due to rain interruptions, which could impact their chances of reaching their third World Test Championship (WTC) final. 

As the focus shifts to the ODIs, Mukesh, who is also part of the ODI squad, eagerly anticipates the opportunity to make a significant impact in the blue jersey.