‘It still hasn’t sunk in’: Coach Amol Muzumdar on India’s maiden Women’s World Cup glory | Cricket News

Navi Mumbai: Moments after leading India to their maiden ODI Women’s World Cup title at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday evening, captain Harmanpreet Kaur approached head coach Amol Muzumdar and touched his feet. The gesture, seen as a mark of respect and gratitude, reflects the strong bond between the Indian skipper and Muzumdar, who took over as head of the team almost two years ago in December 2023. “Incredibly incredible. It hasn’t been achieved yet, but I’m sure as the days go by, it probably will. But it’s a surreal feeling,” replied Mumbaikar, a former stalwart of domestic cricket who made 11,167 runs in 171 first-class matches at an average of 48.13, with 30 centuries, in the 1990s and 2000s, when asked. on the feeling of leading India to their first ever World Cup crown.

Muzumdar led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title in the 2006-07 season and later also coached Mumbai to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy title in 2022 with Ajinkya Rahane as captain. Muzumdar didn’t even remember what happened after Harmanpreet caught the last South African batter and ran near the boundary, her teammates chasing her. “After the capture, I don’t know what happened. The next five minutes were a blur. I was looking in the dugout. I don’t know what happened, what happened in the next five minutes. Everyone was hugging. So, it was an emotional moment for everyone.” Later speaking about his equation with Harman and the vice-captain Smriti Mandhana — he shared long hugs with all of them after the triumph — Muzumdar said: “Harman and I don’t talk much. With Smriti, I discuss a lot of things about batting and planning. I share a very good working relationship with Harman. And it should be that way. A coach and a captain have to be on the same page. We are always on the same page,” he said. Terming India’s World Cup victory on Sunday evening as a “defining moment in Indian cricket, and not just Indian women’s cricket”, Muzumdar gave a beautiful illustration while explaining the impact of India’s World Cup victory. “I just met a three- or four-year-old girl whose inspiration is Harman. She follows Harman wherever she goes. When you have these matches, these kids are inspired. So there you go. I mean, the DY Patil Stadium was packed, and not just the stadium, I don’t know how many millions of people must have watched the final on TV. And I’m sure from there, some of them must have been inspired. You never know. As in 1983, it inspired a lot of cricketers of this generation,” the Indian women’s team coach said. Describing India’s World Cup journey, which saw them lose three matches before struggling with three wins against the SENA countries, Muzumdar said: “I kept telling the players that we didn’t lose the match, we just couldn’t get over the line. then against South Africa in the final,” he said. Muzumdar pointed out that India’s World Cup opener against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, which they won by 59 runs via DLS, was the “turning point” of their campaign. India were 124 for six in 27 overs before Amanjot Kaur (57) and Deepti Sharma (53) took them to 269 for eight in 47 overs with their 103-run stand for the seventh wicket. “I think from the beginning the mood was set in Guwahati, beating Sri Lanka, and we had a series of camps before we went to the World Cup. So Guwahati was a turning point. When we took the field in Guwahati, everything changed.”