Amol Muzumdar named India women head coach

Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai batter, has been named head coach of the India women's national team.

"This is a huge responsibility and I look forward to working closely with talented players and providing them with the right preparation and guidance to excel," Muzumdar said in a BCCI statement. "The next two years are extremely important as two World Cups are scheduled in the period. Together with the coaching and support staff, we will look to tick every box and give ourselves the best chance to succeed."

The statement added that the three-member cricket advisory committee of the BCCI had interviewed the shortlisted applicants for the position and unanimously recommended Muzumdar for the role.

The position had been vacant since December 2022, when Ramesh Powar was abruptly removed as part of BCCI's "restructuring module" two months ahead of the T20 World Cup in South Africa. Since then, Hrishikesh Kanitkar has been in the top job in an interim capacity, overseeing the team for the home T20I series against Australia in December last year, the tri-series in South Africa, the T20 World Cup earlier this year as well as the Asian Games, in which India won the gold medal, in September. Former India bowler Nooshin Al Khadeer was the interim head coach during the white-ball tour of Bangladesh in July.

Muzumdar has been an active coach since he called time on a 21-year first-class career during which he became one of the highest run-getters in the Ranji Trophy. Following 15 years with Mumbai, he moved to Assam in 2009 and later to Andhra.

He amassed 11,167 runs from 171 first-class matches with 30 centuries, but never got the chance to represent India. He went on to win eight Ranji Trophy titles with Mumbai.

After his retirement, he has coached age-group sides at the BCCI's National Cricket Academy, has been at the helm for Mumbai, and has been part of the coaching staff at Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and with South Africa during their tour of India in 2019.