NEWS
Follow UsIndia trail the five-match T20 International (T20I) series 1-2 against the West Indies, and with the next two games set to be played in the United States, they now have a chance to pull off perhaps one of the best come-from-behind victories in the recent past. Going into the fourth T20I in Florida, India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey lavished praise on fast bowler Mukesh Kumar, who made his international debut across formats on this tour.
The pacer from Bengal first made his Test debut at Port of Spain. Then a week later, he donned the blue jersey for the first time in a One-Day International (ODI) in Bridgetown, and finally, five days ago, he also debuted in the T20I series at Tarouba. He has picked up eight wickets across formats so far.
“I am extremely happy with his [Mukesh’s] progress. Not many guys get a chance to play all three formats on one tour. He is the second, maybe. To do so is fantastic. His thought process and approach are fabulous. He is someone who should come here, play against tough opponents and wickets. I am happy with the character he has shown. We will have to be smart about his workload. He is a young kid and has played a lot of domestic cricket. There is a lot of quality,” Mhambrey said ahead of the fourth T20I at Fort Lauderhill, Florida.
Mhambrey also believes the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma will also chip in with the ball soon. “When you have someone who can chip in, it is nice. I have seen Tilak and Yashasvi bowl since U-19 days. They are capable of being good bowlers. They can work on it at this level," Mhambrey said.
"When you got options like these, it is nice to have them. We will see them bowl soon hopefully, we are working on it. It will take time. Soon, we will see them bowling an over, at least."
Speaking of the track at Fort Lauderhill, Mhambrey reckons it will favour the batters and has called for his bowlers to be disciplined on this surface.
“It is different [as compared to pitches earlier in the series], especially when it comes to soil. It is black soil, the kind of soil we get in North India. It is a good wicket, will be nice to bat on, with the ball coming to the bat nicely. That is what we saw in the nets. Stroke-making was easy. It could be a high-scoring game,” he said.
“This format is such that batters are going to come after you, especially on a wicket like this. It is important to have discipline. It is important to decide on plans, the execution becomes really important. If you focus on it, you are giving yourself the best chance to be successful.”
Mhambrey was also pleased with the way the team bounced back in the third T20I after losing the first two.
“I am extremely happy with the way we have come back. Even in the first two games, we were not much behind. We just could not seize the opportunities. Had we done so, the results could have been different. The way we played the third T20I, we ticked all the boxes across all the departments. We are only going to go up from there,” he opined.
Having already won the Test and ODI series, Team India will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of sorts by clinching the T20I series as well. However, it will not be easy agianst a resurgent West Indies side led by Rovman Powell, who will hope to add to his series victory over South Africa.
