Watch: Mukesh Kumar gets emotional after relaying news of Test debut to mother over phone

Indian cricket team’s latest debutant Mukesh Kumar was taken over by emotions as he broke the news to his mother in India over the phone. A video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Instagram account shows the seamer from Bihar sharing this moment with his mother. “My mother told me to stay happy all the time. Keep moving forward. She said her blessings are always with me. For her, all that she wants me to do is keep improving and getting better,” an emotional Mukesh said in a video shared by BCCI. “This moment is very important for me. I can’t explain how happy I am. I made the debut in the morning and in the evening, I am talking to my mother. I am not able to understand what to say,” he added.

In the second Test against the West Indies, the 29-year-old bowled steadily but without much pace, the little movement he got from the surface wasn’t much of a threat to the batters.

A day to remember! 😊

A moment to cherish for #TeamIndia's newest debutant - Mukesh Kumar 👏#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/mULZ0Ro3PH

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 20, 2023

Kumar is the 308th player to represent India in Test cricket. He was given the cap bearing ‘308’ by senior Indian player Ravichandran Ashwin. Kumar comes from a very humble background. He only started playing local cricket for Rs 400-500 after he came to Kolkata in 2012 to help his father whose business was suffering. And this too he had to do against his father’s wishes. “There are plenty like me who come from a small village, and leave their homes to chase their dreams in big cities. I had no clue about swing or seam till I joined the Bengal Ranji team. I only knew my tappa, what my initial coach back in Gopalganj had told me. Stick to your length,” he told The Indian Express. “My father gave me a year and if nothing happens, I will work alongside him. But he was also the one, who knew that I wanted to play cricket and when I was not picked for the Indian Army, it was his suggestion that I must come to Kolkata with him and play cricket and help him out,” recalls Kumar,” he added.