Ravichandran Ashwin praises Indian star, calling him ‘Junior Mohammed Shami’

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised pacer Mukesh Kumar, calling him ‘Junior Shami’. Ashwin said on his official YouTube channel that when he first met Mohammed Siraj, he thought the 29-year-old would be Mohammed Shami’s junior. However, after Mukesh Kumar, Ashwin’s mind changed and he now felt that the 30-year-old could be a younger version of most of the players who will be playing in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Ashwin added that Mukesh is similar to the 33-year-old in terms of build, height and wrist position. Ashwin also praised Mukesh and he said he has a great wrist strike and great backspin on the ball. “Initially I thought Mohammad Siraj would be Junior Shami, but now I feel it could be Mukesh Kumar. Shami’s name is ‘Lala’, but in homage to actor Mohanlal, whose name is Lalettan.” I call it Shami Lalettan. Mukesh has a similar player. “He has a great physique, similar height and great wrist position. He has great wrist swing and great backspin on the ball. He has very nice straightness and good alignment,” Ashwin said. The No. 1 Test bowler also recalled the time when Waqar Younis changed Mukesh’s career just by watching his second innings. “Imagine going bowling in front of Waqar Younis and being in the bathroom. They called his name and he wasn’t there! He came back and said 30 He waited for a minute and told him his name wasn’t there. Then Waqar Younis, who was about to leave, asked him to bowl a few balls. These two deliveries changed his life. I changed and now I am bowling for India,” Ashwin added. Mukesh made his international debut for India on July 20, 2023 and went on to play 10 matches for India and pick up 9 wickets. The 30-year-old is playing in the five-match T20I series against Australia. In the first game of his series, Mukesh failed to take any wickets and gave away only 29 his runs.