See Wankhede Stadium through the lens of Mumbai's bowling mentor Dhawal Kulkarni

Dhawal Kulkarni (Pic: AFP)

As one of the most iconic stadiums across the globe and the heart of Mumbaikars, Wankhede Stadium completes 50 years, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) organised a program for all the former and current Mumbai cricketers.

One of the most loyal and hardworking sons of Mumbai cricket is Dhawal Kulkarni. After drawing curtains on his international and domestic career, the pacer embarks on the next innings of his career as Mumbai's bowling mentor.

When asked about his core memories of Wankhede Stadium, former Team India and Mumbai's current bowling mentor, Dhawal Kulkarni said, " Wankhede Stadium has always been close to my heart. I made my domestic debut for Mumbai at Wankhede Stadium in 2007 and played the last game of my career in 2024. So it's been a long journey, has always been a part of my journey. I'll always cherish the memories of playing cricket here."

Dhawal has also been a part of three teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has very fond memories of Mumbai's iconic stadium. "One of the memorable spells of my career in IPL was the spell against RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) when I got the wickets of Dilshan (Tillakaratne), AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli."

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Having played several matches of domestic cricket at Wankhede stadium, Dhawal Kulkarni labelled the finals against Saurashtra and the last match of his career which was the finals of Ranji Trophy in 2024.

In the finals of the Ranji Trophy 2024, representing Mumbai, Dhawal claimed three wickets by conceding just 15 runs in the first essay against Vidarbha. Later, in the second innings, he bagged one wicket for 38 runs.

Over the years, Dhawal has been well aware of the changes that have taken place at Wankhede Stadium. Speaking about it, "The only change, I've witnessed at the venue has been the wickets (cricket pitches). It has always gotten better and better for the batsmen, so there was always a challenge of bowling on those wickets. At the same time, there was bounce, so I enjoyed bowling there", said Mumbai's current bowling mentor.

Throughout his cricketing career, Dhawal Kulkarni has featured in several matches at different stadiums, whether it be during the IPL or the domestic leagues. "Apart from Wankhede, I've enjoyed playing at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium (Bengaluru) and the stadium in Jaipur (Sawai Mansingh Stadium)."

Having been appointed the Mumbai team's bowling mentor after a successful domestic career, Dhawal Kulkarni sees the potential in the current lot of players who can carry the legacy of the team ahead.

"Yes definitely! There are guys who can surely carry the legacy of the Mumbai team ahead. To name a few, obviously, Shreyas Iyer, who has always been there playing cricket for Mumbai and the Indian team, Tushar Deshpande, who has done well recently, Slyvester D' Souza who has the potential of becoming a good fast bowler."

"Himanshu Singh, another young off-spinner Tanush Kotian, who has done exceedingly well for the last couple of seasons for Mumbai. Apart from these players, Shardul is there who is an experienced campaigner", added Mumbai's bowling mentor.

"Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) obviously is part of the Indian team, but whenever he is available, he's always there playing cricket for Mumbai. Also, Yashasvi Jaiswal, so yes there are these guys who can definitely carry the legacy of the Mumbai team ahead", concluded Dhawal Kulkarni.

Kulkarni has been part of Team India for 12 ODIs and two T20I matches. In 12 ODIs, he registered a tally of 19 wickets and three scalps in the shortest format of the game.