[Exclusive] Rohit Sharma is one of the most favourite characters in the dressing room: Dhawal Kulkarni

Dhawal Kulkarni brought the curtains down on his professional cricketing career earlier this year after helping Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy final for a record-extending 42nd time after beating Vidarbha by 169 runs.

The right-arm seamer finished with 285 first-class wickets from 96 matches. Meanwhile, in 130 List A matches and 162 T20s, he bagged 223 and 154 wickets, respectively. He also played 12 ODIs and two T20Is for India and scalped 19 and three wickets, respectively.

Kulkarni is currently plying his trade in the Legends League Cricket (LLC) as he is representing India Capitals. The 35-year-old revealed the rationale behind his retirement call from the sidelines of the franchise tournament. He also revealed his picks for the pacers from Mumbai who could represent India in the future, the changes he has noticed in Rohit Sharma over the years, and much more during an exclusive interview with CricTracker.

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You were the most expensive Indian cricketer in LLC 2024. How beneficial is this league for the retired players?

It is very beneficial because many of the retired cricketers are very passionate. They have given some fine performances in domestic as well as for Indian cricket or for their international sides. So, I feel that this is an excellent platform where you can stay connected with cricket even after retirement.

Can you explain your timing of retirement and the thought process involved?

When someone plays for 18 years, it didn't cross my mind that I was not getting opportunities. If you have played consistently for 18 years, there has to be some reason behind it. I didn't have too much in my mind but the thing is that there were many youngsters in Mumbai cricket who were not getting opportunities. So, I thought that if I take retirement, they will get opportunities. Mumbai cricket has a lot of talented youngsters and I thought that they should get a chance to play.

As you sou said there are a lot of talented players in Mumbai cricket. According to you, who are the pacers who can go on to represent India?

Mohit Avasthi has had a great season. Tushar Deshpande has been performing well consistently, in the IPL and also in domestic cricket. That is why he got the chance to play T20 cricket for India. So, these two pacers are very close to the Indian team and can play for the country. There is Shardul Thakur as well, who was injured. However, he has returned from injury. He has been quite a good performer, he has been batting well and I feel that he would be able to make a comeback to the Indian team.

Your last match in first-class cricket was the Ranji Trophy final earlier this year. Share your experience of playing in that game.

It was an emotional match for me because I knew that it was going to be the last match of my career in domestic cricket or in Indian cricket. So, it was a very emotional moment for me. We did well and the team won. The goal was to help the team win. There were a lot of emotions as I knew I won't be able to represent Mumbai cricket anymore. It was a great performance and every individual contributed to the success. It was a great feeling.

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You have played a lot with Rohit Sharma over the years. What are the changes you have noticed as an individual and as a captain?

He has matured a lot as an individual. When he got captaincy for the first time, if you see, his performances [have] got better. As an individual, he is one of the most favourite characters in the dressing room. If you ask someone who is close to him, he will also tell you that Rohit is a great person.

As a captain, he backs every player, gives them confidence, and has good communication with every player. Be it a senior cricketer or junior cricketer, Rohit is very welcoming. Even if a junior cricketer gets to meet him, he won't feel like his Rohit Sharma - the captain of the Indian team. He welcomes every individual. Communicates well with his players. The player gains in confidence and that is the kind of captain necessary now.

Do you see yourself in a coaching role for any IPL team in the future?

I have just retired but 100%, if I get the opportunity with any team, I will want to help because I have so many years of experience. Even when I retired, I mentioned that I want to give something back to cricket.