Medium-pacer Dhawal Kulkarni finds himself amongst the few lucky ones to have snapped a wicket off their first ball of a match, thrice in his fledgling career. At a time when bowlers are going through an almost-crisis in the domestic circuit, getting hammered on flat pitches, Kulkarni had a reason to smile.

On Wednesday, as the umpires called stumps, Kulkarni had dismissed two of Hyderabad’s top-order batsmen, the only to fall. His shoulders were broad as he walked towards the pavilion, especially considering that the pitch had nothing to offer to the bowlers. With this, the visitors are placed at 82 for 2 after Mumbai declared their innings on a mammoth 602-6 at the MCA-Bandra Kurla Complex ground. Till date, Kulkarni has bowled more than 130 overs in his seven innings, which can be demanding on the body, especially after bowling on dead pitches.

Mumbai have earlier played on strips in Delhi and Rajkot, also batting beauties, and with the gap between two games a mere two days, pacers on the domestic circuit aren’t really a cheerful lot.

No support for bowlers

“The pitch has nothing for us, we are trying our best to take wickets. Despite wracking our brains, there is nothing much we can do, there is no support, nor swing,” Kulkarni explained after sweating out the entire afternoon.

Ask Ajit Agarkar, who slammed an unbeaten 77 on Wednesday, about the kind of pitches he has played on this season and he agrees that injuries are bound to happen sooner than later. “I think no bowler will manage to play ten Ranji Trophy games on the trot. With the kind of pitches we have bowled on, injuries are bound to happen. These kinds of pitches take a bigger toll since there is absolutely nothing in them for the bowlers,” explains Agarkar, who has more than a decade’s international experience.

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