New Delhi: Despite scoring truckloads of runs in domestic cricket, Amol Muzumdar’s dream of representing India never saw the light of day. Perhaps, fate had planned it all along. During his school days, Muzumdar was rated highly along with his schoolmates Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli at Shardashram Vidyamandir School in Mumbai.
Coached by Ramakant Achrekar, Muzumdar once famously waited with his pads on for two days as Achrekar’s other two students, Tendulkar and Kambli, shared a world-record 664-run partnership in a 1988 school. Mazumdar never got a chance to bat, and while Tendulkar and Kambli went on to play for India, Muzumdar, despite proving himself in domestic cricket year after year, kept waiting for his chance and finally ended a two-decade-long illustrious career in 2014.
Amol Muzumdar: The domestic cricket legend who never played for India
It was destiny’s call that a player of Muzumdar’s calibre couldn’t don the India colours. It was destiny’s call, too, that 11 years after retirement, he realised his India dream by guiding the women’s team to a historic maiden ODI World Cup title.
After his playing days were over, Muzumdar transitioned to coaching and built a reputation as a mentor who is an expert in reading players and situations. In domestic cricket, he coached Mumbai, Andhra, and later worked with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL before moving to the international stage with a stint with South Africa’s cricket team as a batting consultant.
Historic win: How coach Amol Muzumdar led India women to maiden ODI World Cup
When Muzumdar was appointed as India’s women’s coach in 2023, the team was in turmoil after years of instability in the coaching set-up. However, he quickly won over the dressing room, built the foundation of a cohesive team and rallied the team to aim towards one goal.
His leadership style worked wonders for the team and superstar players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma.
After a solid start to the campaign, the Women in Blue suffered multiple setbacks, which threatened to derail their campaign. However, Muzumdar’s strong reminder to the team of their abilities and goal helped India regroup and find a newfound energy and rhythm.
Listening to a man who embodies grit and resilience worked like a magic potion for the team, evident from two extraordinary performances – vs Australia in the semifinal and vs South Africa in the final.
On November 2, 2025, the historic day when India defeated South Africa to lift their maiden World Cup, life came a full circle for Muzumdar, one of the greatest cricketers to never play for India.