Who is Mukesh Kumar? The cricketer from actor Pankaj Tripathi's hometown makes Bihar's Gopalganj proud

A small-town boy from Bihar rising to the very top and fulfilling his father's dream to represent India - that is the ultimate story of Mukesh Kumar.

It is a fairy tale story for the Indian bowler, who has just become the 308th Test cricketer for India. Mukesh Kumar has been named in the Indian playing XI for the 2nd Test against West Indies.

The Indian pacer was born in Gopalganj, a small town in the state of Bihar. From a very modest background, Kumar has taken a gigantic leap which was not that easy in the formative years.

He made a long trip from Bihar to try his luck in the city of Kolkata, where he came along with his father who used to be a Taxi driver in the city. His father had a dream of seeing him playing in the IPL.

The player says that he couldn't fulfil his dad's dreams as the senior Kumar passed away before his IPL debut, and his father will be proud of his son from the heavens.

The ever-smiling Mukesh is now going to spearhead the Indian bowling attack in the Test format. The Bengal bowler has risen through the ranks of Maidan cricket in Kolkata.

He represented many Kolkata clubs before breaking into the Bengal Ranji squad. The pacer had a few terrific seasons for Bengal and as a result, an India call-up arrived last year in the ODI team against South Africa.

But the Bengal bowler finally has got his elusive India cap in the most cherished format for a player as he is selected for the 2nd Test against West Indies.

Mukesh's village in Gopalganj is not that far away from another eminent person, the Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi. Tripathi, a renowned actor known for his elite-level acting, has come from a humble background. And there is a similar resemblance in the career of Mukesh Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi thus far.

Pankaj Tripathi had to struggle in his early days, and so has Mukesh thus far. Both are also great devotees of the local temple Thawe wali Mata and seek blessings from the goddess.

Pankaj Tripathi is now a name the nation knows, and Gopalganj loves him. Gopalganj also loves Mukesh, and so does Bengal. But will Mukesh weave his magic and make the entire nation love him? Only time will tell.