'It Was Waqar Younis Who..' - R Ashwin Reveals Interesting Story About Mukesh Kumar
Mukesh Kumar (Twitter)
Ravichandran Ashwin spoke in glowing praise of India's rising young pacer Mukesh Kumar, backing him to follow the footsteps of fellow Bengal seamer Mohammad Shami in becoming an Indian cricket giant one day.
The premier off-spinner further revealed an amusing anecdote related to the dedicated pacer's infant days as a speedster when Pakistan legend Waqar Younis played a big role in transforming his journey and pushed him into the reckoning for Bengal.
Waqar, who was one of the big-name coaches roped in by then Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly for a talent scouting programme named 'Vision 2020', backed Mukesh to train with the senior Bengal team following a two-ball trial that he nearly missed.
Mukesh was hilariously in the toilet at the time when his name was called in among the list of problems that had arrived for scouting tests, but Waqar's gracious attitude saw the Pakistani great wait for an extra 30 minutes to ensure he had a brief view of the skiddy right-arm seam bowler.
Ashwin Recalls Waqar Younis Touch In Mukesh Kumar's Rise
"Imagine, you are going to bowl in front of Waqar Younis, and you were at the toilet. They had called out his name but he wasn’t there! He returned, waited for 30 minutes and told them that his name wasn’t called out," Ashwin recalled on his YouTube channel.
"It was then that Waqar Younis, who was about to leave, told him to bowl a couple of balls. Those two deliveries changed his life, and he is now bowling for India," he added.
In an inspirational rise, Mukesh, who is documented as a physically weak and malnourished pacer when he began late operating with the leather ball, was provided all-round support by CAB coaches and heads under Ganguly's watch as they made sure the pacer fulfilled his promise and talent for Bengal.
The 30-year-old has since played 40 first-class matches, with 151 scalps taken at a magnificent average of 21.62. Even though the pacer is currently preferred more for limited-overs cricket, with 3 ODIs and 6 T20Is played for India, he is expected to serve the country for a long haul in his more-suited Test match format, where he made an impressive debut in the Caribbean in July.
 "Kashish Chadha")
