"It's always about the team not individual.." Dhawal Kulkarni reveals the Mumbai culture that makes them a Ranji powerhouse | Exclusive

Dhawal Kulkarni is representing India Capitals in the Legends League Cricket.

In the late 2000s, a young pacer from Mumbai made his mark on the domestic circuit with his ability to swing the ball and bowl with remarkable consistency in lines and lengths. His name is Dhawal Kulkarni.

Kulkarni’s impressive performances in domestic cricket earned him a spot in the Indian squad for the 2008-09 test series in New Zealand, where India registered a historic first-ever test series win in the country. Though he did not make his debut then, Kulkarni’s talent remained undeniable.

It wasn’t until 2014, a full six years after his maiden call-up, that Kulkarni finally donned the India colours. He had a brief stint with the national side, featuring in 12 ODIs and a couple of T20Is, in which he did well to pick up 22 wickets.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he played for Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Lions, and won the 2013 IPL title with MI.

Dhawal has now retired from all forms of competitive cricket after having won the Ranji trophy title last season. The pacer is now plying his trade for the GMR-owned outfit India Capitals in Legends League Cricket.

In this exclusive interview with Khel Now in Surat, Dhawal Kulkarni reflected on his journey, career highs and challenges, and shared insights on the IPL, his coaching aspirations, Mumbai domestic side and spoke on a wide range of other topics. Read the excerpt here.

Dhawal Kulkarni interview:

Q: How’s the retirement life been for you? 

A: It’s been good so far. I ended on a high note (winning the Ranji Trophy). So it feels good.

Q: We’ll start off with your 2008-09 New Zealand tour which you were part of. How was that experience? Because India won the series after quite a long time in New Zealand. How was that feeling? And what was it like sitting with players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in your younger days?

A: Actually, it was a wonderful experience. Though I didn’t get to play there, to be a part of such a team was a wonderful thing for me. It was a great experience. It was a learning experience because it was just the start of my career and to be a part of that dressing room with so much experience, whatever I could learn, I tried learning and it was a nice experience.

Q: You majorly played for two franchises, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, your experience playing in the IPL?

A: For both the teams, it has been really good. I made a mark in the IPL playing for Mumbai Indians. They had given me that platform to play in front of such a huge crowd. That happened to me for the first time – playing in such a big crowd at Wankhede. And then having wonderful players in that team, very welcoming and having a lot of experience. Players like Sachin (Tendulkar) Paji was there, Shaun Pollock was there, Sanath Jayasuriya.

So in my initial years, I felt that I was lucky to mix with such legends of the game and then come to Rajasthan Royals team, that was also a wonderful experience. It was more about expressing what you had in yourself and trying to learn each and every game that I played. 

Q: The era where you made your national team debut for India the ODIs and as well as T20s was very competitive. So how was that an experience for you because you were called up in 2008 and you made your debut in 2014? Your thoughts?

A: Yeah so actually I made my debut in 2014 but it all depended on what combination the captain or the team management at that time wanted to play and there was so much competition that I couldn’t get into the XI before that because I was part of the team since 2008-09. I was in the mix and then I had to wait for six years to make my debut. So, yeah it was whatever happened I took it as a challenge and from there I tried to move on.

Q: So, you made your debut under MS Dhoni’s captaincy and played your last game under MS’ captaincy only. Then the captaincy shifted to Virat Kohli where many fast bowlers were backed and unfortunately, your name was missing. What are your views on that? Did you feel left out?

A: No (it was nothing like that). It was all about doing well for myself and my team and then performing, and picking wickets. That’s all that I had in my mind when I was playing. So there was nothing about getting selected or getting dropped from the team. It was all about how I could get better as a player and as an individual. So that’s what kept me motivated and kept me going for so many years.

Q: We’ll talk about Ranji now. Over the years, we’ve all heard stories from Mumbai cricket, and we are seeing in front of our eyes we are seeing what Mumbai is capable of. So what do you think they do differently as compared to other teams? What is that Mumbai thing that sets it apart?

A: I think, for someone who has played for Mumbai, it was all about the legacy that the greats had set and we just try to keep things simple. It’s also about the never-give-up attitude at whatever given point in time.

When you ask the team facing Mumbai, we are always in the game till the last ball is bowled. And that’s what we’ve practised. It’s always been about playing for each other whenever I played for the Mumbai team. So that is the culture and we don’t want to change anything from that.

Even for the younger guys that come in, we somehow try to share our experiences with them. And it’s always been about the team rather than individual performances when it comes to Mumbai cricket.

Q: Many of your teammates have joined various IPL sides, players who are bowling consultants, and batting consultants. Do you view yourself as a coach and going into a coaching role anywhere in the near future?

A: Yes, surely whenever I get that opportunity I would surely love to, I mean take that opportunity. Cricket has given me so much that even during my retirement [speech] I said that I want to give something back to cricket. I am really looking forward to that. I want to make a difference in someone’s life. Whatever experience that I have, I would surely like to share it with the younger guys and whenever I get that opportunity I am ready for that.

Q: So going back to Indian cricket right now, you see a pool of talented fast bowlers. So as a fast bowler yourself, how do you look at the arsenal that India has in terms of fast bowling?

A: I think Indian cricket has done a very good job of improving the bench strength and backing them. Whenever the senior guys have not played, we have seen so many younger bowlers making a mark and getting that opportunity to express themselves. And the BCCI has done a wonderful job keeping a pool of fast bowlers whenever they are in the off-season or there is not much cricket happening; they go to the NCA, train and get their skills better.

Q: Your views on Akash Deep and his performance in the tests so far?

A: Oh, he has got a wonderful skill set. He has also come playing domestic cricket for his domestic team. And to do well and then get the opportunity at that age is something very good to see. It’s good to see him perform for the Indian team.

Q: Final Question, Your views on the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy and how do you view India’s chances? Whether they’ll be able to do three wins in three back-to-back tours?

A: It is going to be a great series. India is always looking forward to playing in Australia. We have got every box ticked. The fast bowling department is doing well. Spinners are doing well. The batting department is doing well. I feel it is going to be a great series for India.

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