Former Mumbai bowler confident of making a comeback in the Indian Team

Dhawal Kulkarni, the experienced Mumbai bowler, lit up the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal by breaking the back of Uttarakhand's top order, paving the way for Mumbai's historic quarterfinal victory. The pacer represented India in 14 games but has not had a chance to play a game since 2016.

Kulkarni stated in an interview that he is optimistic about making a return to the Indian team. He hoped that his efforts in the domestic circuit do not go unnoticed, because that would be his only way back to the Indian team.

Domestic cricket has always been up there for me. I am where I am is primarily due to Mumbai cricket. Since I still feel I can make a comeback for India, I know that performing for Mumbai is paramount. If I can continue to do that and help Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy, it can benefit me as well," he told Sportstar.

In addition, he also went unsold in the recent Indian T20 League 2022. Notably, this was the first time that he did not play in the cash-rich league. He has played for the Mumbai team, Rajasthan team, and the now-defunct Gujarat team in the past. He joined the broadcast team for the 15th edition of the tournament after going unsold in the mega auction.

"This was the first year that I didn’t get picked for the IPL. It was a bit of a setback for me, so I took up commentary to be occupied mentally. And it was good fun. There was not too much to do besides sitting at home and working on fitness. Since the grounds in Mumbai were occupied for IPL practice, we couldn’t really do skills training, so I thought of trying out something new," he said.

In the quarterfinal match against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy, Kulkarni took one and three wickets, respectively. Mumbai beat Uttarakhand by a record 725 runs to advance to the semi-final of the domestic competition.