Mukesh Kumar is in contention for India’s two-match Test series in New Zealand, according to a Cricbuzz report shared by Sportskeeda on 5 October. The report came a day after he took 8 wickets in the Irani Cup final in Srinagar.
His second-innings spell decided that final. Jammu and Kashmir were 89/3 chasing 279 when he took 3 wickets in 4 balls after lunch. They were bowled out for 111, with Mukesh finishing on 6/33 from 10.4 overs.
🚨 REPORTS 🚨
Mukesh Kumar is in contention for selection for the two-match Test series against New Zealand. ⏳🏏
(Source – Cricbuzz)
#Cricket #Test #India https://t.co/YPUUOdqrWd
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 4, 2026
A squad spot is the headline. What a reserve seamer actually does on a short tour, and why staying ready for a game that may never come is the hardest job in the squad, is the part nobody sees.
“Mukesh Kumar wraps things up in fine fashion as Rest of India defeat J&K by 167 runs in Srinagar to clinch the #IraniCup 2026.”
BCCI Domestic, X post, 4 October 2026
The win gave Rest of India a record 31st Irani Cup title. The 6/33 was Mukesh’s 11th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Average / Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 3 | 7 | 25.57 |
| First-class | 62 | 242 | 21.82 |
| Irani Cup final 2026 | 1 | 8 | 2/84 and 6/33 |
His last Test was against England in February 2024. The gap is now more than two and a half years.
Reports name five pacers in India’s plans for New Zealand: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Gurnoor Brar. Mukesh is not on that list. Taking five pacers is about managing workloads while protecting World Test Championship hopes.
His own Bengal new-ball partner is ahead of him. Akash Deep took 6 wickets in the same final on his return after six months out, and national selectors were watching.
“The Indian team management considers Akash Deep as a key player for the two-Test series in New Zealand.”
NewsBytes report, 4 October 2026
That leaves Mukesh one route in: the extra seamer, picked as cover for an injury or a rotation.
Insider Read
On a two-Test tour, the fifth seamer is picked to be ready, not to play. With Bumrah leading the attack, those weeks are mostly nets, drinks and throwdowns. No match overs means no match rhythm, and a seamer who lives on length and late seam movement needs that rhythm more than anyone.
The hard part is in the head. You bowl every net session as if it is the first morning of a Test, knowing it probably is not. When the call comes, it comes the evening before, and nobody waits for you to find your length. Srinagar proved Mukesh has it right now. New Zealand would ask him to keep it for weeks without a game.
Mukesh Kumar’s Road to Wellington
The Test squad has not been announced. The 1st Test is at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, from 19 to 23 November. The 2nd follows at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, from 27 November to 1 December.
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