11,167 first-class runs in a 20-year long career, 30 centuries, a 260 on first class-debut, and coming from the “khadoos” Mumbai school of batting, you would definitely believe that this player would have definitely gone on to play for his country in some capacity, but not Amol Muzumdar. Today, he is a world champion.Amol Muzumdar, instead of having an illustrious career as an Indian cricketer, went on to join the long list of “Ranji Legends” who never got to play for the country. After calling time on his career in 2013, Muzumdar faded away from the spotlight, coached Netherlands for a brief period, became a consultant for the South African cricket team, but for followers of the game like us, he was the “What if he had gotten an opportunity” cricketer, especially during an era when Indian cricket was at its nadir.Kabir Khan in Chak De! India (2007), returned after seven years of oblivion to coach the Indian Women’s Hockey team, Muzumdar returned a decade after calling time on his playing career to become the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team in October 2023. There were allegations of factionalism in the side, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur overstaying her welcome, the retirement of legends like Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, and for a side to not capitalize on the “potential” that they had. Muzumdar had to navigate it all, and more importantly, ensure that India were prepared to conquer that elusive world title after two heartbreaks in 2005 and 2017.
This World Cup had a lot at stake for everyone involved. For the girls who came from humble background, for seniors who were possibly being at the twilight of their careers and may not play another World Cup, for youngsters who grew up watching these seniors, and of course, the added pressure of playing at home, in front of hopeful crowds, who have now begun to take the game a lot more seriously other than just a passing conversation. More so, for Amol Muzumdar, from not having gotten his due as a player, to managing this team, shutting out the noise, and ensuring that he got the best out of every single player.The scene after India wins the Hockey World Cup in Chak De is the highlight of the film, not for the celebrations, but for Kabir Khan’s reaction, from disbelief, to realizing that he has redeemed himself, and finally the smile at the tricolor, knowing fully well what he had managed to pull off.The Indian team was in tears after the Semi-final win against Australia, but Muzumdar was stoic and composed, knowing that the final frontier was yet to be conquered. On Sunday night, that composure gave way. Of course, there was no dramatic close-ups of the tears and the tricolor, but the emotion was there to see. He was short of words during the post-match interview, on expected lines, as the feeling was yet to sink in. More so, because he did it in the city he grew up and played for nearly the entirety of his “hopeful” career.The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has had its Chak De moment tonight, the memories will stay on for generations to come, but for Amol Muzumdar, at 50, he has finally found his redemption, may not have been as a player, but he has lived his Kabir Khan moment as a coach, and now, a World Cup winning coach!
