Former Mumbai batting great Amol Muzumdar was on Wednesday appointed as the new head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced.
Before Muzumdar, Ramesh Powar was the head coach for nearly ten months ago, as part of a restructuring module and was later transferred to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru following which, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Nooshin Al Khadeer served in the head coach role in interim capacities.
Muzumdar’s appointment comes after the BCCI had invited applications for the post in May this year and conducted interviews for the same next month.
Issuing a statement, the BCCI said that Muzumdar was appointed following a unanimous recommendation made by the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra, and Jatin Paranjape.
“I am deeply honoured and privileged to be appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team. I thank the CAC and the BCCI for placing their trust in me and believing in my vision and the roadmap for Team India. This is a huge responsibility and I look forward to working closely with talented players and providing them with the right preparation and guidance to excel. The next two years are extremely important as two World Cups are scheduled in the period. Together with the coaching and support staff, we will look to tick every box and give ourselves the best chance to succeed,” said Muzumdar.
His immediate challenge will be to prepare the women’s team for the upcoming home series against Australia and England, as well as prepare for the ICC events – the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024 and the Women’s ODI World Cup in India in 2025.
Representing Mumbai in domestic circuit, Muzumdar amassed 11167 runs from 171 first-class matches in a 21-year career, slamming 30 hundreds and winning eight Ranji Trophy titles.
After representing Mumbai for 15 years, Muzumdar played for Assam in 2009 and later, represented Andhra Pradesh and also featured in more than 100 List A games and 14 T20 matches.
“I welcome the appointment of Mr. Amol Muzumdar as the Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team. I am confident that under his tenure, the team will continue to rise and perform well across different formats of the game. The team has consistently delivered impressive performances in bilateral and multi-nation events, and I am certain our players will benefit immensely under Mr. Muzumdar’s guidance and roadmap,” said BCCI President Roger Binny.
After his playing career ended, Muzumdar shifted into coaching and served as the head coach of Mumbai side from 2021, where the team was runners-up of the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy and clinched its first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in the last season.
“I thank the CAC for conducting a thorough evaluation and selection process to identify the new Head Coach for our national team and I congratulate Mr. Amol Muzumdar on his appointment. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise and possesses a keen understanding ofthe modern game. The BCCI is strongly committed to women’s cricket and will continue to provide an environment necessary for the team to excel both on and off the field. The Board will fully support Mr. Muzumdar and work closely with him to help our players reach their full potential,” said Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI.
He also served as the batting coach of Rajasthan Royals for three seasons of the IPL, as well for the South Africa team on their Test tour of India in 2019.