India fast bowler Mukesh Kumar’s cryptic Instagram story went viral on June 18, just two days before the team plays their 1st Test match against England. Mukesh took to social media and wrote, “Karma is unforgiving,” without sharing any context on what had made him furious.

Fans quickly spotted the pacer’s post, which came just a day after India added Harshit Rana as cover in the Test team. Rana, who is a hit-the-deck bowler, was a late addition to the side. He was selected ahead of the Bengal pacer, who played his final Test match in 2024 against England at home.

Fans speculated that the England tour snub made Mukesh Kumar angry, resulting in an outburst on social media. Known for his ability to seam the ball, Mukesh perhaps thought that he could have been useful in English conditions.

“Karma bides its time. You will always have to watch out. Karma is unforgiving and always gets payback,” Mukesh wrote on his Instagram story on Wednesday evening, June 18.

Reaction to Mukesh’s Story on Instagram

A section of the fans were sympathetic towards Mukesh’s situation and spoke about the plight of the domestic stars, who made their names while playing in the Ranji Trophy.

“You can really feel Mukesh Kumar’s frustration. He’s toiled hard, picked up around 44 wickets in his last 11 domestic games. Meanwhile, someone like Harshit Rana, with barely 13 domestic matches under his belt, gets retained in the squad. It makes you wonder what’s the point of grinding in domestic cricket if selections don’t reflect it?” a X user reacted to Mukesh’s story.

The Bengal seamer has played three Test matches in his career – one in West Indies, one in South Africa and one in India. He has not been in the scheme of things since India’s home series against England, where he performed poorly in the only match that he played in Vizag.

Mukesh has 7 wickets from 3 Tests at an economy of 3.78.