Dhawal Kulkarni excited to play under Anil Kumble

To be in and out of the India squad can be quite frustrating, but Dhawal Kulkarni is not complaining. Despite his consistent performances in the domestic circuit, the Mumbai pacer has always been looked at as a back-up option and gets called up for fringe tours. He first made it to the India squad in 2009 for a New Zealand Test tour, but his international debut didn’t materialise until 2014 in England. And whenever he travelled with the second-rung India team — to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe twice, he did justice to the selection.

With BCCI selectors deciding to rest Mohammed Shami for the upcoming New Zealand ODI series, Dhawal has been given an opportunity to play an ODI at home after a gap of two years. Dhawal, who is spearheading Mumbai’s bowling attack against Tamil Nadu in Lahli, said he wasn’t thinking about India selection, though one of his teammates, Shardul Thakkur, was called-up on Wednesday as replacement for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Test squad.

“My thoughts were only about helping Mumbai in the Ranji and how to win matches for my side,” said Dhawal, who took four wickets on day one.

Dhawal, who has taken 18 wickets in 11 ODI appearances, said his evolution as a better bowler was a result of his renewed interest in fitness.

“The first year I played for Mumbai (2009), I had no interest in fitness. It is from players like Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Sachin that I learnt the importance of fitness. I was never into gymming. But if you look at the current set-up, a lot of importance is given to fitness. You realise it when so many opportunities are lost if you are not fit,” said Dhawal.

The 27-year-old said he was looking forward to working under coach Anil Kumble. “He was a part of the Mumbai Indians set-up when I played for them. He is one of the greatest bowlers India has ever produced, so it will be a good experience,” he added.