Mukesh Kumar Gears Up for T20 Series in Zimbabwe with an Eye on Australia Tour

The bowling group for the Zimbabwe tour is keen to leave their imprint, much like India's young hitters who have shown promise in the IPL and are anxious to advance.

On Saturday, the five-match T20I series in Harare will begin.

Pacer Mukesh Kumar will undoubtedly draw the most attention among the bowlers because he has goals for this Twenty20 International series. The Bengal fast made his Indian debut in the Test match against the West Indies at Port of Spain over a year ago. Mukesh has had more opportunities in T20Is (14 appearances since August 2023) since making his debut against the Windies the previous year.

For Mukesh, the India dressing room and its surroundings are therefore nothing new. The 30-year-old quick's focus is primarily on being ready to win the forthcoming series and guarantee a spot on the Australian tour later in the year.

Mukesh has recently given physical fitness the utmost importance in order to ensure that it occurs. He was so committed that he chose to participate in every game in the just finished Bengal Pro T20 League, captaining Sobisco Smashers Malda and bowling his allotted overs in nearly every encounter.

"I wanted to test myself in the Bengal Pro T20 tournament despite a hectic IPL." Even though there was a lot more humidity and heat during the event...

I had to sprint frequently from mid-on to mid-off and long-on to long-off as the team's captain. Extra responsibilities meant more work, but I was up for the challenge since I wanted to push my endurance limits and improve my fitness.

"After bowling about two overs, I could have left the field for a few minutes of rest. However, I didn't. Mukesh stated, "I wanted to challenge myself," before to the Shubman Gill-led team's departure for Harare.

The captain of the Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant, and Rohit Sharma are both happy with Mukesh's strategy in the shortest format. Even if things haven't always gone his way, Mukesh is willing to take on the challenge of bowling in the Powerplay and at the end.

"There's a greater chance of getting bowled in the fifth or sixth over of the game, the 12th or 13th over (this is when the batting side normally starts to accelerate), and the 17th to 20th overs. However, I've bowled before and I plan to continue doing so because I know I can deliver even in the face of adversity," he said.

In order to help Mukesh fight death-overs slogging, the slower ones, yorker-length deliveries, and wide yorkers have undoubtedly done well.

His chances of being included in the touring group to Australia should improve if he can maintain a consistent performance against Zimbabwe and in the games to follow.

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