MUMBAI: On the morning of Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai's dressing room was overwhelmed with emotions, with veteran pacer Dhawal Kulkarni suddenly getting an opportunity to play his 96th and final First-Class match after Mohit Avasthi was ruled out due to injury.
Having bowled for more than a decade with Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur shared the new ball for the second-last time at this level with the 35-yearold on Sunday. Thakur recalled how the veteran pacer, whom he grew up watching, had helped him buy new shoes when the 'Palghar Express' had no money to purchase them.
