Amol Muzumdar hints India women could soon have a specialist T20I squad

Under Amol Muzumdar, India won its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title last year. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar believes the team could soon have a specialist T20I squad, like the Indian men’s team, with the next generation of cricketers better equipped to meet the demands of the shortest format.

Asked how soon that could become a reality, Muzumdar was emphatic: “Not long.”

“We’re already on that path. There’s some amazing talent coming through. The talent I’ve seen at the CoE (Centre of Excellence), where they hold the India Under-15 and U-19 camps, is terrific. The work at the CoE is superb. The camps are a good reflection of where Indian women’s cricket is at the moment. I’m sure it’s in a healthy state,” he said at an event organised by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Mumbai (SJAM) on Saturday.

Muzumdar believes the next generation could accelerate that transition, having grown up with a better understanding of the physical and technical demands of modern T20 cricket.

“They are tuned in. They are professionals. Even the U-15 players are professionals. They understand the nutrition aspect of the game. They understand the fitness aspect of the game. They understand fielding. They’re terrific fielders. They’re good athletes. They understand that athleticism is key in cricket,” he said.

“You’ll soon find that when the younger generation takes over, India will be in a good state.”

Years in domestic cricket have given Muzumdar a keen eye for identifying talent. But he values a player’s receptiveness as much as their skill.

“I see whether he or she is receptive. If he or she is receptive, you know it from their body language,” he said.

“You need to learn to understand the body language of the player. Over the years, I have spent a few years in First-Class cricket, and I do understand that I can know a certain player through their body language on the ground. I try to catch those signals.”

The coach is equally conscious of giving players their space. “Sometimes you have to respect the space that the athlete wants. You can have 10,000 things as a coach to tell that athlete. But whether he or she is in that time frame or the mind frame to understand what you are doing...” he said.

A year after India scripted history by winning its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title, Muzumdar was asked what the team needed to carry forward from that campaign to ensure the triumph was not a one-off.

“If I have to pinpoint just one, then I think the unity in the camp and the dressing room atmosphere. Because of that unity, the dressing room atmosphere was very light. There was a little bit of a buzz around in the dressing room, which I love to create,” he said.

Recalling his playing days in the 1990s, Muzumdar said the dressing-room atmosphere in successful Mumbai teams had left a lasting impression on him. He now hopes to recreate that environment.

“I have played in such teams where whenever we have done well, what I am talking about in the 90s, when we did well, just the dressing room atmosphere was phenomenal. There was some kind of a buzz triggered to the kind of cricket that was reflected on the ground. So I think if I have to pinpoint one, it is unity in the camp and just the buzz in the dressing room,” he said.

As Smriti Mandhana takes over the captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian women’s cricket enters a new phase. Muzumdar, who worked closely with Harmanpreet during his three-year tenure, had high praise for the outgoing captain but was equally enthusiastic about what lies ahead.

“I had a very good time with Harman as a captain. But I’m also looking forward to the future. With utmost respect, the manner in which she conducted herself as a captain, as a skipper, was superb,” he said.

“I feel myself really lucky that I had that opportunity for the three years that I spent with her as a coach. I could gather the mindset of the captain... I could gather the mindset of the leader in her. I consider myself really lucky about it.”

For Muzumdar, success is about more than trophies. He wants the team to establish a culture of dominance and an uncompromising approach on the field.

“Dominance is something that we have always spoken within the squad. Being ruthless on the ground is another thing that we have always maintained. I don’t know where it stems from,” he said.

Drawing on the values he imbibed during his formative years in Mumbai cricket, Muzumdar said he wanted to pass them on to the team. “Obviously, from the background where I come, the kind of majority growth in Mumbai cricket was similar. I try to inculcate those things or give it back. If we start dominating world cricket, I would be happy.”

For Muzumdar, coaching goes beyond imparting technical knowledge. It is also about understanding individuals and knowing when to offer advice. “There is always that correct timing of that advice that has to be given. So as a coach, you need to understand when to say, how to say and what to say,” he said.