Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said on Saturday it wouldn’t take much time to have a specialist T20I squad, citing that the next generation of cricketers coming through are better equipped to meet the demands of the shortest format.
India are current holders of the ODI World Cup, which they won in Navi Mumbai in 2025, but are yet to win a T20 World Cup. “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,” Muzumdar said at an event organised by Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM).
He added that youngsters understand what modern T20 cricket demands. “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. 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 an eye for spotting talented players, but he said he valued how open a player was to learning 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.
“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.
“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.
With the first anniversary of India winning their first Women’s ODI World Cup coming on Monday, Muzumdar was asked about that one memory the team must hold on to from that campaign.
“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.
On Smriti Mandhana taking over as captain from Harmanpreet Kaur, Muzumdar spoke warmly about the outgoing skipper. “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.
“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.”
Muzumdar stated the next step was for the team to dominate world cricket. “Two years down the line, if they start dominating…Dominance is something that we have always spoken about within the squad. Being ruthless on the ground is another thing that we have always maintained. I don’t know where it stems from.
“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.”
--IANS
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