Amol Muzumdar refuses to get caught up in the hype surrounding Ranji final, says it’s not all about him versus past master Pandit
MUMBAI: If Mumbai are in the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since the 2016-17 season, some credit is due to Amol Muzumdar. Under fire after Mumbai crashed out of the two white-ball tournaments when he took over as the head coach, the domestic stalwart has shepherded the team impressively.
“He’s like a parent, or an elder brother to these boys. He guides them so well and makes them feel very comfortable. If he has to point out someone’s mistake, he’ll do that privately. He’ll play cricket and football with the guys in the rain as if he’s one of them. You’ve to be in the dressing room to see the difference that he’s made to the side,” says a source in the Mumbai team.
Sparing some of his time on a day Mumbai travelled to Bangalore for the final against Madhya Pradesh at the Chinnaswamy Stadium from June 22, Muzumdar spoke about some outstanding players in this side, and the team’s fabulous Ranji campaign this season.
Excerpts…
You played in so many Ranji finals as a player and as a captain. Mumbai have made it to the Ranji final in your first season as a head coach with them. How does that feel?
It’s a ‘good pressure.’ Honestly, what we’ve done is that we’ve been following a process since the first game of the season. We’re focused internally.
People are putting this as a battle of coaches between you and Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit. Mumbai last won the Ranji Trophy with him as the head coach back in the 2015-16 season. Knowing how good he is tactically, do you look at it?
Chandu is a proven customer as far as coaching is concerned. At the same time, I feel that it’s about the players and not the coaches, to be honest. It’s about the players who play.
Were you feeling the pressure after Mumbai were knocked out in the two white-ball tournaments earlier this season?
I don’t think that there was any pressure. Even when I was a player, I never looked at cricket as a pressure game. I always looked at it as my responsibility of doing certain things – a s a player, captain and now as a coach. I’ve always tried to play the game in the right spirit. I always see it a s a game. My involvement in the game is 100%. I always look at it this way-I love this sport and I want to contribute to it as much as I can.
Sarfaraz has now scored 2,351 First Class runs at an average of around 81. 06. Only Don Bradman had a better FC average at this stage. Do you think that he’s ready for an India Test cap now?
Yes, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s ready. At the same time, the national selectors know it better. In terms of his preparation, and the work ethics that he has, he’s just unbelievable. That’s the reason he’s got so much success in First Class cricket.
Sarfaraz, Shams Mulani and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been on a roll. What is the secret behind their tremendous form?
I think it’s just the work ethics that they have. They’re serious about their game. They’re in a good space. As a coach, I can see that they have a hunger for the game. They’re on the right track, and hopefully, they stay there.
For someone who was dropped in the league stage of the Ranji Trophy, Jaiswal has done well to bounce back with three consecutive hundreds in the knockouts?
It was the right call at that time. It must’ve motivated him. Also, at the league stage, we had a lot of players doing well for us. On the day of the IPL final (in Ahmedabad), in which he was playing for Rajasthan Royals, I sent him a message, wishing him all the best and saying I hoped he would come out with flying colours. However, I also asked him about when he would like to join the squad. He said: ‘Tomorrow sir. I want to practice with the red ball.’ I immediately got the message that this guy is hungry for it. So, he was eager, keen and hungry. I knew at that point that he was on the right track.
What’s your approach towards the boys? How do you get them to correct their mistakes?
My entire ‘funda’ of cricket, even as a commentator, is that people forget that they were cricketers themselves too. This is exactly what I apply in my coaching as well. I also was in that position. I’ve also played rash shots a few times, which I’ve regretted. Even today I regret some of the bad shots I played in the past. So, the same goes for these boys also. I’m no different to them. If it’s happening time and again, then I’ll give a rap (to the concerned player). When it crosses a limit, you’ve to remind them in a sweet manner that it wasn’t expected-the player gets the message. In the dressing room, we’ve tried to keep things light. We created our own style of playing football in the dressing room, when it was raining recently. The boys are happy.
MUMBAI: If Mumbai are in the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since the 2016-17 season, some credit is due to Amol Muzumdar. Under fire after Mumbai crashed out of the two white-ball tournaments when he took over as the head coach, the domestic stalwart has shepherded the team impressively.
“He’s like a parent, or an elder brother to these boys. He guides them so well and makes them feel very comfortable. If he has to point out someone’s mistake, he’ll do that privately. He’ll play cricket and football with the guys in the rain as if he’s one of them. You’ve to be in the dressing room to see the difference that he’s made to the side,” says a source in the Mumbai team.
Sparing some of his time on a day Mumbai travelled to Bangalore for the final against Madhya Pradesh at the Chinnaswamy Stadium from June 22, Muzumdar spoke about some outstanding players in this side, and the team’s fabulous Ranji campaign this season.
Excerpts…
You played in so many Ranji finals as a player and as a captain. Mumbai have made it to the Ranji final in your first season as a head coach with them. How does that feel?
It’s a ‘good pressure.’ Honestly, what we’ve done is that we’ve been following a process since the first game of the season. We’re focused internally.
People are putting this as a battle of coaches between you and Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit. Mumbai last won the Ranji Trophy with him as the head coach back in the 2015-16 season. Knowing how good he is tactically, do you look at it?
Chandu is a proven customer as far as coaching is concerned. At the same time, I feel that it’s about the players and not the coaches, to be honest. It’s about the players who play.
Were you feeling the pressure after Mumbai were knocked out in the two white-ball tournaments earlier this season?
I don’t think that there was any pressure. Even when I was a player, I never looked at cricket as a pressure game. I always looked at it as my responsibility of doing certain things – a s a player, captain and now as a coach. I’ve always tried to play the game in the right spirit. I always see it a s a game. My involvement in the game is 100%. I always look at it this way-I love this sport and I want to contribute to it as much as I can.
Sarfaraz has now scored 2,351 First Class runs at an average of around 81. 06. Only Don Bradman had a better FC average at this stage. Do you think that he’s ready for an India Test cap now?
Yes, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s ready. At the same time, the national selectors know it better. In terms of his preparation, and the work ethics that he has, he’s just unbelievable. That’s the reason he’s got so much success in First Class cricket.
Sarfaraz, Shams Mulani and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been on a roll. What is the secret behind their tremendous form?
I think it’s just the work ethics that they have. They’re serious about their game. They’re in a good space. As a coach, I can see that they have a hunger for the game. They’re on the right track, and hopefully, they stay there.
For someone who was dropped in the league stage of the Ranji Trophy, Jaiswal has done well to bounce back with three consecutive hundreds in the knockouts?
It was the right call at that time. It must’ve motivated him. Also, at the league stage, we had a lot of players doing well for us. On the day of the IPL final (in Ahmedabad), in which he was playing for Rajasthan Royals, I sent him a message, wishing him all the best and saying I hoped he would come out with flying colours. However, I also asked him about when he would like to join the squad. He said: ‘Tomorrow sir. I want to practice with the red ball.’ I immediately got the message that this guy is hungry for it. So, he was eager, keen and hungry. I knew at that point that he was on the right track.
What’s your approach towards the boys? How do you get them to correct their mistakes?
My entire ‘funda’ of cricket, even as a commentator, is that people forget that they were cricketers themselves too. This is exactly what I apply in my coaching as well. I also was in that position. I’ve also played rash shots a few times, which I’ve regretted. Even today I regret some of the bad shots I played in the past. So, the same goes for these boys also. I’m no different to them. If it’s happening time and again, then I’ll give a rap (to the concerned player). When it crosses a limit, you’ve to remind them in a sweet manner that it wasn’t expected-the player gets the message. In the dressing room, we’ve tried to keep things light. We created our own style of playing football in the dressing room, when it was raining recently. The boys are happy.
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