He was born the day Sachin Tendulkar made his First Class debut. And even before he made his First Class debut, Dhawal Kulkarni was playing along side the man himself in the Indian Premier League.
More than his 14 India caps — 12 ODIs and two T20Is — and a unique record of being the only pacer to have played at least a game in each of the first 13 IPL editions, Kulkarni emerged as a domestic stalwart.
After being a leader of Mumbai’s pace pack for a majority of his 17 seasons with the domestic powerhouse, Kulkarni hung up his boots after picking up a wicket off his last ball to end his career with five Ranji Trophy titles. He takes a look at his career in an interview.
Why do you think it’s time to pass on the mantle to a younger generation?
There are a lot of talented youngsters and fast bowlers in Mumbai and that’s why I think that I should pass on the mantle to the younger guys. It’s been 17 years, a long journey. Whatever experience I have got in these 17 years, I have made sure that I have passed it on this year to the younger guys.
This whole season, more than playing, you have been involved in taking care of the bowling group...
I want to give back to cricket because cricket has given me so much. The knowledge I have received from the greats of cricket, I would like to pass it on to the younger guys.
There’s no point keeping it to myself. So that is going to be the next thing.
I would love to be involved in cricket, either coaching or doing something with fast bowlers or younger guys. But it will definitely be something related to cricket.
For an Indian pacer, playing 100 First Class games is a big deal.
No, no, I am not thinking about the numbers because numbers are just numbers. What I have done in these years counts more than numbers and I have had a good career. To win five of the six finals I have featured in is quite special.
Can you tell us why the Sportstar Trophy (Mumbai age-group selection tournament) is so dear to you?
Before playing in the Sportstar Trophy (u-17), I was a batting all-rounder and I used to bat for my school teams and even when I was just about in the circuit. I used to bat higher up the order. Then I used to bowl with the new ball, but the game-changer was the Sportstar Trophy.
I received the best bowler award in that tournament and from there on I thought that I should focus more on bowling than batting and this is where I am now.
Once you made that switch to being primarily a bowler, the rise was even more rapid than as an opening batter, right?
Yes. I was picked in the Mumbai under-17 team as a fast bowler and from there I picked up wickets.
Then I played two years of under-10, was with the India U-19 team and from there, the real journey began playing professional cricket. Then after the under-19 level, I got into the Ranji squad.
What is it that gets the best out of you in the finals?
It means a lot because you work really hard during the season, the pre-season you do a lot of fitness, put in a lot of hard yards in the entire domestic season.
There are seven to eight league games when you play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and after those league games in Ranji Trophy, there are the knockout games. You have to win the league games to be a part of those knockouts.
And once you get there, whenever I played the knockouts, I used to give it more than 100% because I used to think about the hard yards that I have put in throughout the season and the championship is what you dream of at the start of the season. Once you hold the trophy in the hand, it’s a special feeling.
Even before you made your international debut, you had played with Tendulkar in the IPL? What was it like playing with him in the Ranji knockouts in your debut season?
It was a big moment for me because sharing the dressing room with him, you know, just looking at him, his routines, the process that he used to follow was a different feeling. It was like sitting next to God and as a youngster I always looked up to him. I also wanted to become like him.
Whoever played cricket back then wanted to be like Tendulkar. I was one of them and I was lucky enough to have spent time with him. Even after my first season, another Ranji Trophy that we won, he was a part of that final as well. So the experience that he shared with me was very much helpful for my whole career.
Despite being on a roll in Mumbai’s colours, opportunities were far and few in international cricket. How did you manage that phase?
I always took it as a challenge. It was something that was not in my hands. I always focused on my cricket and wanted to do well. Whenever I had the ball in my hand, I wanted to go out there and perform.
Never did I think about being picked or not picked for India. I used to be disappointed when I was little young, but then I took it in my stride. I took it in a positive way and took it as a challenge. Every time I took the field, I wanted to prove it, prove it to myself rather than anyone else, that I am better than others. And whenever I walk onto the field, I try to become better. Yes, I do think I should have played more international cricket that I did, but that hasn’t prevented me from giving my best for Mumbai.
In the latter half, when your body wasn’t really actually supporting you as much as you would have wanted, how challenging was it to keep your place in a team like Mumbai?
Getting an India opportunity or not, getting injured or not getting picked is part and parcel of the game for every athlete. I always took it in my stride whenever I got injured.
I always thought about how will I come back fitter than what I was; and that drove me every time I got injured.
I had to speak to myself. I used to ask myself why was is that I got injured so often and how I can improve my regime. Over the last few year, I focused on what I should do that more than I should not do.
If you were to pick top three moments of your career, what would they be?
The first would be the India ODI cap that I got from M.S. Dhoni. The second, my first season for Mumbai — winning the Ranji Trophy for the team. And the third would be the Ranji final (in 2009-10) against Karnataka.
I played a big role with the bat, scored 87 runs (batting at No. 7) and that changed the game. And from there it was a very interesting. It went till the last day last, last session and I played a huge role with the ball as well. Truly a remarkable game.
Any regrets?
Won’t call it regret as such, but I I could have worked harder to earn the Test cap is what I would like to say.
How would you like to be remembered?
The one who always gave 100%, a perennial team man and a good human being — more than anything else, a good individual is what you want to be.
