Nilesh Kulkarni, who took a wicket off the very first ball he bowled in Test cricket (Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu in Colombo, 1997), announced his retirement from all forms of the game at the Cricket Club of India yesterday.
Nilesh Kulkarni, who took a wicket off the very first ball he bowled in Test cricket (Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu in Colombo, 1997), announced his retirement from all forms of the game at the Cricket Club of India yesterday.
Looking back on his cricketing career, the lanky left-arm spinner said: "My biggest turnaround was when I was introduced to former England cricketer Frank Tyson in 1991 during the BCA (Bombay Cricket Association) Mafatlal Bowling Scheme. I was also happy to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in 1994. Then my dream finally came true when I was picked to play for India in the Test match against Sri Lanka." The scheme ushered in a new era in Mumbai cricket after eight barren seasons.
On why he called it quits, he said: "It was time for me to decide. I wasn't getting picked in the Mumbai squad and of course I am not getting any younger. My only regret is that I did not play a match to bid adieu to the game. But at the end of the day, I am pretty satisfied with my career." Kulkarni (37) claimed 308 wickets for Mumbai and was part of several Ranji Trophy-winning Mumbai teams. A final he will probably never forget is the experimental day-night affair against Delhi in Gwalior in 1996-97. Mumbai scored 630 to which Delhi replied strongly. Kulkarni's four wickets helped Mumbai dismiss their rivals for 559.
Yesterday, he also launched his own institute of sports management. "Sports is a big industry today. It gives everybody an opportunity to make a career and I want to help students of our country to be a part of the sports industry," he said.
