When Harmanpreet Kaur and her team lifted the Women’s ODI World Cup trophy on Sunday, the country celebrated the players who made history. Names like Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues were praised everywhere. But behind the celebrations stood one more key figure, head coach Amol Anil Muzumdar, who watched with tears in his eyes as India became world champions.

Amol Muzumdar is known as one of Indian cricket’s strongest domestic players. Born and raised in Mumbai, he trained at Sharadashram Vidyamandir, a school famous for cricket. His coach was Ramakant Achrekar, the same coach who guided Sachin Tendulkar. Muzumdar even came up the ranks alongside young Sachin.

He was known for his calm batting style, using timing and placement over power. His performances in school cricket showed he was headed for greatness.

At 19, Muzumdar made headlines by scoring 260 not out on his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai in 1993-94. The record stood for nearly 25 years.

Over the next two decades, he scored 11,167 first-class runs at an average of 48.13, including 30 centuries.
He also led Mumbai to their 37th Ranji Trophy title in 2006-07.

However, he never got to play for the Indian national team. During his prime years, India’s batting lineup had Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, leaving little space for another middle-order player. His story is often seen as an example of someone who was “born in the wrong era.”

After retiring in 2014, Muzumdar moved into coaching.

He worked with:

  • India’s U-19 and U-23 teams

  • Rajasthan Royals in the IPL as batting coach

  • South Africa’s team as an interim coach during their 2018 tour of India

  • Mumbai as the head coach in 2021

In October 2023, BCCI appointed him as the head coach of the Indian women’s team. The team was going through changes, and Muzumdar brought discipline, confidence, and patience.

The 2025 World Cup tested the team after they lost three matches in the group stage. But under Muzumdar’s calm guidance, India fought back strongly. They defeated Australia in the semi-final and then South Africa in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time.

As the team celebrated, Muzumdar stood quietly, proud and emotional, a coach whose long journey in cricket had finally found its moment of glory.