From prodigy to pioneer: Amol’s long road to World Cup glory

The cricketing journey of Amol Muzumdar, who guided the Indian women’s team to an epochal World Cup triumph on November 2, began in the National Capital Region — Faridabad, to be precise. On his first-class debut in February 1994, the 19-year-old wiry Mumbaikar, batting at No 4, hammered a record 260 in a Ranji pre-quarterfinal match against host Haryana at Faridabad’s Nahar Singh Stadium.

Amol’s world record was later broken twice — by Ajay Rohera of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar’s Sakibul Gani, who still holds it. However, Amol will always be remembered for that seminal knock, in which he broke the 73-year-old record of South African WFE Marx, who had scored 240 for Transvaal against Griqualand West in 1920. Minutes before surpassing Marx’s feat, the second-year commerce student from Mithibai College had shattered the Indian record for the highest score on first-class debut — 230 by GR Viswanath for the erstwhile Mysore against Andhra in the 1967–68 Ranji Trophy.

Impressed by Amol’s innings, renowned coach Ramakant Achrekar, who also mentored him at Sharadashram Vidyamandir, had then predicted that his ward would play for India within two years. Alas, it was not to be.

Also read: Women’s World Cup triumph a watershed moment for Indian sports not just cricket: Amol Muzumdar

Domestic giant

Amol went on to become one of domestic cricket’s most prolific run-getters. In a career spanning 20 years, he scored 11,167 runs at an average of 48.13 in 171 first-class matches, studded with 30 centuries. Yet a Test cap eluded him, as India’s middle order was then packed with stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

He was picked for India ‘A’ a couple of times in the mid-1990s, including a tour of Kenya where he batted alongside Dravid and Vinod Kambli — both of whom went on to represent India. He also captained Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title in the 2006–07 season.

Like Amol, several other prolific middle-order batsmen of that era faded away without their India dream being realised, unable to dislodge the Fab Four from the Test line-up.

Also read: We have now broken barrier, winning has to be a habit now: Harmanpreet Kaur

Second innings

After retiring in 2013–14, Amol turned to coaching.

“He is an experienced cricketer and a nice human being. It’s always good to have a coach who understands the game. At the end of the day, your coach is as good as your team. No problem if he couldn’t play Test cricket; at least, he had the knowledge of the game, having played it for 15–20 years,” former India all-rounder and national coach Madan Lal told Patriot. “Credit is also due to the girls who performed well, especially about four or five of them. That’s the only way you can win big titles.”

Amol was appointed head coach of the Indian women’s team in October 2023. “I look forward to working closely with talented players and providing them with the right preparation and guidance to excel. The next two years are extremely important as two World Cups are scheduled in this period. Together with the coaching and support staff, we will look to tick every box and give ourselves the best chance to succeed,” he had said at the time of his appointment.

He and his team have indeed ticked every box.

Unlike some of his predecessors, Amol prefers to remain in the background. His composed demeanour and quiet assurance have helped him communicate effectively — something captain Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged after the team’s World Cup victory against South Africa on November 2.