Bengal senior team coach Saurasish Lahiri, 41, rated India&rsquo;s new pacer <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/mukesh-kumar-impresses-with-three-wickets-v-nz-a-23243863" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Mukesh Kumar</a> as the best red-ball bowler in the country at the moment.
Mukesh, 29, earned his India debut in the ongoing second Test against West Indies in Port of Spain. On Saturday, the right-arm pacer claimed his maiden scalp when he dismissed well-set WI batsman Kirk McKenzie (32), caught behind by Ishan Kishan.
In his eight years of first-class cricket, Mukesh has picked 149 wickets from 39 games. &nbsp;
&ldquo;I think Mukesh is the best red-ball bowler in the country at the moment. His forte is red-ball cricket and he always bowls in the right areas. His USP [Unique Selling Point] is accuracy, he will ask batsmen questions throughout the day. He is more of a Glenn McGrath type of bowler,&rdquo; Lahiri told mid-day from Kolkata on Sunday.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/amp/sports/cricket/article/ind-vs-wi-2nd-test-kraigg-brathwaite-blazes-away-in-trinidad-23299477" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">IND vs WI 2nd Test: Kraigg Brathwaite blazes away in Trinidad</a>
Lahiri lavished praise on Mukesh&rsquo;s ability to dismiss top-order batsmen early in the innings. He recalled: &ldquo;The moment Mukesh started playing for Bengal, he never looked back. I remember his debut Ranji Trophy match against Haryana at Lahli [in Haryana in 2015-16]. He had four wickets in the first innings which included opener Rahul Dewan [25] and one-drop Virender Sehwag [28].The best part of his bowling is he keeps getting top-order batsmen. I hope Mukesh gets a long run in the Indian team and if he gets that run. He will definitely cement his place in the side as well.&rdquo;
Mukesh never played any age group cricket for Bengal, but thanks to Cricket Association of Bengal&rsquo;s (CAB) program&mdash;Vision 2020, initiated by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, he got a platform to showcase his talent.&nbsp;
Lahiri revealed how Mukesh got an opportunity in CAB&rsquo;s Vision 2020 camp because of fast bowling consultant - Waqar Younis and ex-Bengal pacer Ranadeb Bose.
&ldquo;When our Vision 2020 journey started in 2014, all Bengal age group players there in the camp, but Mukesh wasn&rsquo;t there because he hadn&rsquo;t played any of the age group cricket for Bengal. He just came for the selection trials. All players were given a chance to bowl in the presence of Waqar and Murali [Muttiah Muralidaran, who was a spin bowling consultant], but Mukesh was on the sidelines. The camp was about to end but he didn&rsquo;t get an opportunity to bowl.
&ldquo;That is when Ranadeb went up to Mukesh and asked him whether he had bowled or not. Mukesh said he hadn&rsquo;t bowled at all. Then Ranbeb brought him to Waqar and he was allowed to bowl a few balls. After bowling a few balls, he caught every ones eyes.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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In his eight years of first-class cricket, Mukesh has picked 149 wickets from 39 games

Mukesh is the best red-ball bowler in India, feels coach Lahiri

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Mukesh is the best red-ball bowler in India, feels coach Lahiri

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