India’s world champion women’s cricket team coach Amol Muzumdar has always been a sincere, domestic toiler. But somehow, he hadn’t got his due, at least till Sunday, when he coached the Harmanpreet Singh-led team to the ODI world title at the DY Patil Stadium. And his long-time Ranji teammate, former India Test player Wasim Jaffer, is mighty pleased to see his friend reap the rewards of many decades of hard work. “To win the World Cup is the ultimate feeling. And to achieve this in the first couple of years as coach of the Indian women’s team is definitely the best recognition Amol can get,” Jaffer, who leads the all-time list of Ranji’s leading run-getters at 12,038 runs told mid-day about his friend Muzumdar, who is second on the list at 9205 runs.
“I feel extremely happy for Amol. It was very unfortunate that he did not play for India, but to coach a World Cup-winning team is most special. There is no bigger trophy in any sport than a World Cup. I’m glad that everyone now knows who Amol Muzumdar is. I’m also thrilled that this credit is going to an Indian coach. It’s great to see Indian coaches excelling on the world stage. Credit also goes to the BCCI for trusting Amol to get this job done,” added Jaffer.
Wasim Jaffer
Muzumdar took over the women’s team’s reins in October 2023, at a time when they were without a full-time coach for 10 months. And in a short span of time, he earned everyone’s trust and respect, helping him extract such a brilliant performance from the team. Skipper Harmanpreet bowed down to Amol soon after the final victory. “When so many players say so many good things about you, it speaks volumes of your contribution to the team. For this team to play like this, to eventually win the World Cup, it says a lot about Amol. I can see that the players really respect him a lot and that’s a great feeling for any coach,” said Jaffer, who surpassed Muzumdar’s Ranji record in the 2011-12 season with the latter in the commentary box.
“This team came very close [to winning the World Cup] a couple of times, before getting over the line this time in front of a passionate home crowd which can also add to the pressure. The way this team bounced back after losing three games [to SA, Australia and England] says a lot about its character. We can see that this team’s approach, their fitness levels, their fielding, everything has improved, and a lot of credit for this must go to the coach because it is he who instills the belief in the players. So, full credit to Amol and the other members of the coaching staff like Avishkar Salvi [bowling coach] and Munish Bali [fielding coach],” concluded Jaffer.