Mukesh Kumar at his party with King Kohli -TGN

Bangladeshi pacer Mukesh Kumar made his test debut ahead of the game against the West Indies in Trinidad. Mukesh, who is a well-known name in the country’s domestic circuit, was named in the playing XI after missed Shardul Thakur was ruled out due to injury.

His Test debut proved to be special as he received his India cap from skipper Rohit Sharma and as he took his first wicket a pumped up Virat Kohli celebrated his milestone with him at the Queen’s Park Oval.

Virat Kohli hugged Mukesh Kumar and celebrated his first wicket

Yes, Mukesh Sharma ended India’s long wait by delivering a much-needed breakthrough on Day 3 of the play when he Kirk McKenzie. Mukesh trapped McKenzie and forced him to play the shot. Finally, McKenzie was caught by goalie-batter Ishan Kishan.

Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli was the first player of the team to accompany Mukesh during his celebration. The batting maestro hugged Mukesh and celebrated the wicket with him. They were soon joined by Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal and the other members of the team.

Watch the video of the wicket and celebration here:

Mukesh later spoke about the moment to Mohammed Siraj on bcci.tv, saying he was in a “different world.” He expressed his happiness when he was hugged by the man he always looked up to. He said:

“When I got the wicket Virat bhaiya ran in and hugged me. I was in another world. The man I’ve watched on TV all these years and looked up to hugs you. It felt great,”

He added: “When you (Siraj) and JD (Jaydev Unadkat) were bowling bhai, Rohit bhai said, ‘It’s not a field where you can get wickets directly. You have to work hard’. I had to set up the batter with consistent bowling,”

Mukesh was mentally prepared for the opportunity and despite being told the day before at the team meeting, it took him some time to let the feeling sink in. He revealed:

“When I found out that I am going to play, I was shocked and actually completely sunk out. Whether I play or not, I am always prepared, so I went to the team meeting, keeping in mind that I have to follow my process. But there was a gut feeling that I could play.

He added: ‘So if it’s morning here, it’s evening in India. So by the evening, when I reached the hotel, I talked to my mother, that’s a special feeling that ‘Maa main desh ke liye khel raha hoon (Mom, I play for the country). All my relatives and all those who supported me from the beginning are happy.