Amol Muzumdar's cricketing career: An ordeal like no other

Amol Muzumdar (L) and Wasim Jaffer

His gritty nature and the support of family and friends motivated him to keep going. His batting continued to remain flawless. In the 2006-07 season, Mumbai were battling for survival in the group stage; however, Muzumdar never lost belief and, from nowhere, led them to the Ranji title.

He scored a slew of runs, yet again. For all his efforts, it wasn’t really surprising when he became the leading run-scorer for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy, leaving behind Ashok Mankad. As the national call-up still eluded him, he decided to move on.

In August 2009, he was dropped from the Mumbai squad for the Buchi Babu tournament. Resultantly, he had to make the tough decision to part ways with his beloved Mumbai side. He switched to Assam, a Plate division side.

The effects started to show immediately. Leading from the front, he helped them get promoted to the Elite division in the very first season. However, the joy didn’t last long for the North-Eastern side, as they were relegated back to the Plate division in 2011.

He applied back to play for his very own Mumbai side. But things did work out for him due to the one year cooling-off period that was in place. He was offered to contribute to the Quick CC, a Dutch club, as captain-cum-coach. He took it as a challenge and scaled new milestones. Muzumdar coached the Under-18 side to their maiden Championship victory in 60 years.

For a 37-year-old cricketer, to keep himself motivated proved to be tough. He spoke to ESPNCricinfo telling how the stint in Netherlands had revitalized him.

In Muzumdar’s words, “It really got me going and think it has helped me to focus more.”

When he returned back to India, he came to know that his cooling-off period was over. But instead of going back to Mumbai, he signed up for Andhra citing MCA’s quest to introduce fresh talent.

Muzumdar had imbibed the habit of scoring runs. He ended the 2012-13 Ranji season as the 6^th highest run-getter, scoring 868 runs at 78.90. His conversion rate was prolific, too. He accumulated 5 hundreds after having crossed the 50-run mark on 7 occasions.

Midway through the previous Ranji season, he decided to not to play for Andhra Pradesh in the remaining games as they didn’t have any chance of making it to the knockouts, choosing instead to selflessly mentor the youngsters in the side.

On December 28, 2013, Muzumdar was appointed as the batting consultant by KNCB, the Dutch Cricket Board for the ICC World Cup 2015 qualifiers. Unfortunately, the Dutch side fell short of qualifying for the big tournament.

With 9220 runs, Amol Muzumdar is the second highest all-time run-scorer in Ranji trophy cricket, 458 short of the leader, Wasim Jaffer. In all, he has featured in 171 First-class fixtures and has hoarded more than 11,000 runs at 48.13, which includes 30 hundreds and 60 fifties.

His imperious slip-catching abilities deserve a special mention. Muzumdar has grabbed more than 150 of them in his 20-year long First-class career.

In India, a lot of emphasis is put on a player’s age, particularly while considering domestic cricketers for national selection.

Muzumdar had this to say on the attitude of the selectors: “It’s a simple theory. If you are 30+, thank you very much. I don’t think age should be a factor. I can do the same things that a 19-year-old can. I am realistic about aiming for an Indian cap. I wouldn’t fire shots in the air,” he said while speaking to Rediff.

“Performances should be recognized no matter where,” he said when asked about the significance of the performances for the India ‘A’ side.

Quite evidently, a lot of pain is concealed behind those words.

Amol Muzumdar’s tale is a nerve-wracking ordeal. The treatment he has received points out at the serious flaws in the national selection process. It wasn’t his fault to have been born in the era of ‘fab four’ (Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, and VVS Laxman).

He was just as talented and capable as the above mentioned, if not better. The Indian selection panel has always been reluctant to follow a flexible rotation policy. For the young guys to stand in contention, the stalwarts in the senior squad have to necessarily age and decay.

Nonetheless, Muzumdar never found himself in contention even as the fab four called it quits. The only occasion when the BCCI recognised him was for their one-time benefit policy: something he would surely exchange for a place in the national side.

Disappointment, agony, and hope symbolize the career of Muzumdar and a few others in the domestic circuit. It is a pity that Lady Luck was not on his side. In spite of being aware of the fact that cricket won’t earn them any recognition, they toil hard day in and day out simply because they love the sport. Their unflappable commitment, sheer passion, and intensity surely deserves a return.