'His time will come' - Sourav Ganguly roots for Mukesh Kumar's India career across formats

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly felt Mukesh Kumar deserved to get more chances for India in the future because of being a bowler who can adapt to any format. Ganguly advised Mukesh to maintain his composure and wait for his moment to arrive.

The southpaw also wondered whether Mukesh would get drafted into the squad for the upcoming T20Is including the upcoming Asia Cup. 

“Mukesh should definitely play. In these conditions, he's an excellent fast bowler. He consistently takes wickets in domestic cricket and deserves a chance. Since there’s no Test cricket at the moment, let’s see if he gets picked for the T20Is or the Asia Cup. He’s a bowler who can perform across all formats. His time will come - just needs to be patient,” stated Ganguly, as quoted by India Today.

For the unversed, Mukesh impressed in the first unofficial Test against England Lions with a three-wicket haul (3/92 in 25 overs). He was sidelined for the second match in order to provide exposure to others in the India A squad. Despite a noteworthy performance in Canterbury, he was not selected for the red-ball squad for the recent five-match series against England.

What is Mukesh Kumar doing right now?

Following the snub for the red-ball assignment, the right-arm medium pacer proceeded to post a cryptic Instagram story a couple of days after the series-opening match at Headingley. The text read, “Karma bides its time. You will always have to watch out. Karma is unforgiving and always gets payback.” It seemed as if he was disappointed to miss out from the reckoning.

Up until now, Mukesh has played three Tests, six ODIs, and 17 T20Is for India. His international debut in all three formats came less than a month from each other during the Men in Blue's all-format tour of the West Indies in 2023. It has been more than a year since the 31-year-old last represented the country.