Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has showered praise on pacer Mukesh Kumar, dubbing him the ‘Junior Shami’ and highlighting his promising future in international cricket. Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed his initial impression of Mukesh and how it evolved over time.
Mukesh Kumar: The Potential ‘Junior Shami’
Ashwin revealed that when he first met Mohammed Siraj, he thought the 29-year-old would become the junior counterpart to Mohammed Shami. However, after encountering Mukesh Kumar, Ashwin changed his perspective, now seeing the 30-year-old as the younger version of the prolific wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023.
The number one Test bowler pointed out the striking similarities between Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Shami in terms of build, height, and wrist position. Ashwin commended Mukesh’s bowling technique, noting his great whip of the wrist and terrific backspin on the ball.
“I initially thought Mohammed Siraj would become the junior Shami, but I now feel it could be Mukesh Kumar. Shami is called ‘Lala,’ and as a tribute to the actor Mohanlal, who is called Lalettan, I call Shami Lalettan. Mukesh has a similar build, similar height, and outstanding wrist position – he has that great whip of the wrist and terrific backspin on the ball. He has a very nice straight and nice alignment,” said Ashwin.
Waqar Younis’ Impact on Mukesh’s Career
Ashwin shared a fascinating anecdote about how Mukesh’s career took a turn after a chance encounter with legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis. Despite missing his initial call to bowl in front of Younis, the Pakistani great insisted on seeing Mukesh in action. Two deliveries later, Mukesh’s life changed, and he now finds himself bowling for India.
“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. 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,” added Ashwin.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
