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Cricket PlayersHTLS 2025: ‘This Indian women’s team is the best in the world, across genders’, says head coach Amol Muzumdar
HTLS 2025: Amol Muzumdar, head coach of the Indian women's cricket team, praised his squad as the best in the world after their historic Women's World Cup win.
Amol Muzumdar, head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team, has hailed his side as “the best in the world” after this remarkable group delivered India its first-ever Women’s World Cup title last month. Speaking alongside India’s maverick all-rounder Deepti Sharma, at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, Muzumdar — who oversaw this watershed moment — said the team stands a notch above its men’s counterpart, adding that once you earn their trust, they operate head and shoulders above the rest.
“If you earn their test, I think this Indian women’s cricket team is the best in the world, across genders. They absorb things and they follow their instincts,” Muzumdar told renowned sports journalist and HT columnist, Sharda Ugra.
Muzumdar was appointed by the BCCI two years ago, at a time when the team was reeling from a series of bruising defeats. Year after year, tournament after tournament, they fell agonisingly short — be it the 2017 World Cup or the 2020 T20 World Cup — as the finishing touch was always missing. However, with Muzumdar’s arrival, the drought finally ended. Reflecting on his journey thus far, he emphasised the power of choosing the right words and how communication can make a far greater impact than most realise.
Amol Muzumdar and his power of words
“Two years into this job, I realised that this team, these young minds, don’t just listen to what you say. They absorb every word. So I had to choose them very carefully. During the job, I realised the power of words. The speech ahead of the final – I had narrated a couple of inspiring incidents. In the final, the pressure was insane. A lot of things happened on the morning of the final. There was rain around, too, which meant that some of our plans had to be put on hold. My mind was crowded with a lot of thoughts, so I could only imagine what the players must be going through,” says Muzumdar.
“The most important thing was to stay in present. There were 50K people inside the stadium and 50 crore people watching. I knew that if they played to their potential, we would be able to crack this one."
The coach did what he had to
One of the most talked-about moments from India’s World Cup-winning run was the shift in Muzumdar’s usually calm demeanour after the team suffered a hat-trick of defeats. Having started strong with wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side then lost to South Africa, Australia and England, leaving their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread. That’s when the coach decided to shake things up, pressing the necessary buttons to spark a much-needed turnaround.
“We were just not able to cross the line against England, and all three games which we lost, we had them in the bag. All 15 players were hurting. As a coach, you realise that this is the time that you need to put your finger on the scar. Harmanpreet, Smriti [Mandhana] and Deepti reacted very positively to that talk in the dressing room. They had a secret meeting about which I got to know later,” mentioned Muzumdar.
