Sourav Ganguly gives Asia Cup 2025 shout for Bengal fast bowler & it’s not Mohammed Shami

Cricket’s a fast-moving sport. It’s been just 2 days since the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ended, and for most, it’s ancient history now. All the focus has shifted towards the Asia Cup 2025. Everyone’s talking about what the squad could look like. Which players might be rewarded for their Indian Premier League (IPL) performances? Yada yada yada.

Sourav Ganguly has also jumped on that bandwagon. He thinks a fast bowler from Bengal could be given a chance for the Asia Cup. One would expect he’s talking about Mohammed Shami, the pacer who regained fitness after spending over a year out. That’s wrong.

Mukesh Kumar for the Asia Cup?

Ganguly has suggested picking Mukesh Kumar. The right-arm fast bowler had made his India debut two years ago. He remained part of the setup for about a year but was moved on from afterwards. Ganguly was shocked that he wasn’t given a chance in England, and Mukesh had also expressed displeasure after Harshit Rana was selected as cover over him after a solid India A performance.

“Mukesh should definitely play. In these conditions, he’s an excellent fast bowler. He consistently takes wickets in domestic cricket and deserves a chance,” Ganguly told India Today.

The former Indian captain reckons that Mukesh can be given a chance in T20Is. Ganguly views the 31-year-old pacer as an all-format player and thinks his time will come.

“Since there’s no Test cricket at the moment, let’s see if he gets picked for the T20s or the Asia Cup. He’s a bowler who can perform across all formats. His time will come—just needs to be patient,” Ganguly added.

Mukesh’s IPL economy has never been under 10. He did produce a good season in 2024, but other than that, nothing validates his selection in T20Is. India already has Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Hardik Pandya as frontline pacers, and others like Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana are easily better shouts for selection.

Mukesh Kumar T20I & IPL stats