'That will be my first achievement': Mukesh Kumar reveals his ultimate goal after India call-up

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for a five-match T20I series against Australia. Suryakumar Yadav has been named the captain of the team, while Ruturaj Gaikwad will play as his deputy. In a press release issued last evening, the BCCI informed that Shreyas Iyer will join the squad as vice-captain for the last two T20Is in Raipur and Bengaluru. Shreyas Iyer was part of the Indian team that recently lost the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia. He has been given a rest after India's hectic campaign at the event. 

3 things you need to know

• India and Australia will play a five-match T20I series starting November 23
• The first match of the series will be played in Visakhapatnam
• Matthew Wade will lead the Australian team in the contest

Also Read: 'India, we are coming again': Afghanistan all set to play 3 T20Is against 'Men in Blue' in January

Mukesh Kumar on his career goal

Indian fast bowler Mukesh Kumar, who recently earned a recall from the BCCI for the upcoming T20I series against Australia, shared his ultimate career goal. Hailing from Bihar, Mukesh expressed his desire to consistently represent his country, considering it as his primary achievement.

"I want to regularly play for my country, that will be my first achievement. I want to continue focusing on the processes. I am seeing the results of sticking to them, so, I want to keep focusing and moving forward," he conveyed to Jio Cinema ahead of the T20I series against Australia.

Mukesh Kumar started his international journey in Test cricket, subsequently debuting in ODIs and T20Is in the same series against the West Indies. The Bengal-based paceman reflected on the humility of sharing the dressing room with players he had previously only watched on television.

"When I first saw my India teammates, my mind stopped functioning briefly. I thought these were the players I watched on TV till yesterday and today I was getting a chance to warm up and share the dressing room with them,” Mukesh said.

Also Read: 'I’m back': Gautam Gambhir expresses emotion following official appointment as KKR mentor

India’s squad: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar