Two days prior to India's inaugural Test match against the English team, pacer Mukesh Kumar set social media account holders abuzz with an enigmatic Instagram story shared on June 18. Without any context or justification, Mukesh simply typed, "Karma is unforgiving," keeping fans perplexed and curious about the timing of his posting.
The post followed shortly after the Indian team made the revelation of bringing in Harshit Rana as an extra pace option. Rana, who has a reputation for being an aggressive short-ball bowler, was preferred ahead of Mukesh, last seen in a Test earlier in 2024 against England at home.
The surprise inclusion of Rana caused eyebrows to be raised, especially since Mukesh, an experienced campaigner in Indian cricket, was left out. This made most fans think the social media update was done in response to his exclusion from the team.
Mukesh also added fuel to the rumors with another segment of his post, where he wrote, "Karma bides its time. You will always have to watch out. Karma is unforgiving and always gets payback." The post, posted on Wednesday night, gained popularity in no time among cricket fans.
Fans of the Bengal pacer showed sympathy, pointing out the rough path local players have to tread despite steady performances in such tournaments as the Ranji Trophy.
One of the users on X expressed anger with the selection choice, stating, "You can actually sense Mukesh Kumar's frustration. He's worked very hard, has taken nearly 44 wickets in his previous 11 domestic matches. And then a guy like Harshit Rana, who had hardly played 13 domestic games, is retained in the team. It makes one ask what's the use of sloggering it out in domestic cricket if selections don't show?
Mukesh's Test career runs three games — one each in South Africa, the West Indies, and India. His recent outing, against England in Vizag, was poor, and he has not been part of the playing XI after that.
In his three Tests, Mukesh has taken 7 wickets at an economy rate of 3.78. With the England series in the offing, his omission and enigmatic comments have again stoked the controversy over selection openness and plight of domestic warriors seeking attention.
