Meet Amol Muzumdar, The Real ‘Kabir Khan’ Behind India’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Triumph

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Indian women's cricket team is still basking in the glow of its 2025 World Cup triumph - a victory that will be spoken of for years. Under the lights, amid a sea of tricolours and chants echoing through the stadium, they lifted their maiden World Cup trophy after defeating South Africa.

And just off the pitch, away from the spotlight, stood the man who helped make it happen - Amol Muzumdar. The coach whose own dream of playing for India never came true, but who ended up giving the country one of its proudest moments.

Photo Credit: Oneindia

Who Is Amol Muzumdar?

Sometimes life doesn't go the way you imagine, it takes you somewhere better.
Amol Muzumdar, once known as the "unlucky genius" of Indian cricket, spent decades piling up runs in domestic cricket. Eleven thousand of them, to be exact. Yet, he never got the call every Mumbai boy grows up waiting for, to play for India.

Most players would've faded away after that heartbreak. Muzumdar didn't. He turned his story into something larger: coaching the Indian women's team to a World Cup win.

It's surprising isn't it? The man who couldn't wear the India jersey as a player ended up guiding a team to do what even legends dream of.

The Kabir Khan Moment

Remember Shah Rukh Khan's Kabir Khan from 'Chak De! India', the coach who guided a women's hockey team searching for direction to something extraordinary? Muzumdar's journey has a similar spirit, though his story is about patience and persistence, not redemption.

He knew what it meant to have talent but miss the spotlight. And like Kabir Khan, he helped a team rediscover its confidence and purpose. The difference is, Muzumdar's story didn't fade with the credits, it came alive on the field, with his team lifting the World Cup.

From Mumbai Prodigy To Forgotten Hero

Back in the '90s, Amol Muzumdar was supposed to be the next big thing after Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. He smashed 260 on his Ranji Trophy debut and went on to become a domestic cricket legend.

But luck, timing, and perhaps too many stars in the same era kept him out of the Indian side. Still, he didn't sulk. Muzumdar kept playing, mentoring and learning. He became the cricketer everyone respected, the one who never made headlines but always made an impact.

The Coach Who built A team, Not A Trophy Shelf

When the BCCI appointed him as the head coach of the Indian women's team in 2023, not many knew what to expect. Muzumdar was calm, composed, and old-school in his methods.

He avoided slogans and big talk. Instead, he listened, observed, and built trust. His own experiences taught him how to handle being overlooked, a quality that slowly shaped his approach.

Under his guidance, the women's team started playing like a unit-with fire, strategy, and belief. What followed in 2025-the ICC Women's World Cup victory was the result of months of focused hard work and a coach who made them believe they could take on the world.

More Than A Win

This 2025 win was all about second chances, persistence, and leadership. Muzumdar gave the Indian women's team a sense of direction, identity, and self-belief that went beyond the boundary line. And in doing so, he gave Indian cricket something rare, a coach whose story is as inspiring as his team's.

Full Circle

Photo Credit: Oneindia

Amol Muzumdar may never have stood in the middle of Wankhede in India blues, but his journey came full circle when his team stood on the podium as world champions. In short, 'He never wore the India jersey, but he gave India its biggest reason to cheer.' And sometimes, that's an even bigger victory.