Amol Muzumdar: Domestic Star, Who Never Played For India, One Step Away From World Cup Glory
The entire country sent good wishes to Jemimah, Harmanpreet Kaur, and the entire team, but one hero remained unsung - head coach Amol Muzumdar.
- The ongoing Women's World Cup is an opportunity for India head coach Amol Muzumdar to live his dream
- Muzumdar was a big name in the domestic circuit but never played for the Indian team
- The 50-year-old is one step away from winning the World Cup trophy as a coach
Team India created history on Thursday night after pulling off a remarkable run-chase against Australia in the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 semi-final match in Navi Mumbai. Opting to bat first, Australia posted a massive total of 338, with Phoebe Litchfield scoring 119. Later, fans witnessed a never-seen-before moment as Jemimah Rodrigues played an unbeaten knock of 127, propelling India to a sensational five-wicket win. It was the highest successful run-chase in the history of women's ODI cricket.
The entire country sent good wishes to Jemimah, Harmanpreet Kaur, and the entire team, but one hero remained unsung - head coach Amol Muzumdar.
The ongoing Women's World Cup is an opportunity for Muzumdar to live his own dream. The 50-year-old Mumbai-born coach, who was a big name in the domestic circuit, never got the chance to play for the national team.
Despite his dream of playing for India never coming true, Muzumdar did not give up and continued his hard work, unaware of what fate had in store for him.
Now, with the India women's team reaching the final of the ODI World Cup 2025 - where they will face South Africa in the summit clash on Sunday - Muzumdar is just one step away from claiming the coveted trophy, as a coach.
After India's win over Australia, Muzumdar spoke about the message he gave to the team during the daunting run-chase.
"There were no big messages. We always told each other we need to finish well. We usually start well, but finishing has been our area to improve. Today was that day," Muzumdar said after the famous win.
Muzumdar, who took charge of the women's team in October 2023, brought a sense of stability and gave direction to the side with his calm demeanour. He also backed Rodrigues to the hilt, and his decision to promote her to No. 3 turned out to be a masterstroke on Thursday.
"I always felt Jemi has the temperament to shift gears. That one move made a difference," Muzumdar said.
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