Amol Muzumdar, Indian cricket's nearly man, calls it a day

A young Amol Muzumdar waited with hope with his pads on when Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli put on those 664-run world record partnership in schools cricket more than 26 years ago. However, he never got the chance to bat in that game.

It was with hope that Muzumdar played first-class cricket – from 1993-94 to 2008-09 for Mumbai and from 2009-10 to 2013-14 for Assam and Andhra – the hope of playing for India, which never came despite scoring consistently for Mumbai.

It was with hope that Muzumdar, who will be 40 on November 11 and who announced retirement from all forms of cricket in India on Thursday, played cricket all his life.

It is this hope that the former Mumbai captain still holds on to when he has the options of media and coaching after retirement. Muzumdar has shown interest in coaching, having already been a batting consultant for The Netherlands national team. Muzumdar managed to put up a brave face while saying, “I want to announce my retirement from all forms of cricket in India,” and also while answering the handful of journalists who had seen him play for those 21 seasons in the interaction that followed.

“I would be eligible to play for Holland,” Muzumdar added. “There is a rule that if you play for four or five years in Holland, you qualify to play for the country,” he said. Muzumdar has been playing club cricket in Holland since the summer of 2011, first for Quick Haag in Hague and then for VOC in Rotterdam.

The right-handed middle-order batsman, whose 260 on Ranji debut for Mumbai against Haryana in 1993-94 is still the world record for the highest by a debutant in first-class cricket, can still fulfil his dream of playing international cricket, so what if it is not for India.

Muzumdar is third in the list of century scorers in Ranji Trophy, 28 behind Wasim Jaffer's 35 and Ajay Sharma's 31. He is the second highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy, 9202 behind Jaffer's 9737. Having appeared in 171 first-class matches and amassed 11,167 @ 48.13 with 30 centuries and 60 fifties, Muzumdar said that he was satisfied with his career.

Tendulkar's message said it all about Muzumdar's career. “The longevity of your career shows the determination and commitment to the game,”  Tendulkar wrote.

“One of the things I realised this morning was that I had a satisfying feeling (about my career). That is what sportspersons crave for, that satisfying feeling having given your best no matter which team you are playing for,” Muzumdar, known for building long innings with the typical Mumbai 'khadoos' attitude, said.

Of course, like many others, he dreamt of playing for India. “But, over the years, I came to terms with these things. I realised that as soon as you step on the playing field, it doesn't matter which team you play for. I thought the closest I got to the Indian team was in 1996-97 when I scored four centuries including in the Ranji semifinal and final. After that, in 2004-05, though there was a generation shift, I felt I could play for India.”

However, thanks to family support, Muzumdar came to terms with the fact that he would not play for the country. “I have no regrets. I gave my best in whatever I played. I have kept that part of my life (not playing for India) aside and my family made me shift focus. I don't look back. I live in the present and look ahead,” he said.

Muzumdar may have missed out on the India berth, thanks to the packed middle-order, what with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman having made their places their own. “I feel lucky to have played in that era. It was tough to break into that team. I did not think I lacked in anything. Just that mine coincided with theirs and each of them played a minimum of 125 Tests,” Muzumdar said. “But I always thought there would be an opening for me somewhere. I hoped that one year I'd make an entry (into the Indian team) but that never happened.”

He got the hint that the India door was shut for ever when after loads of runs in 2003-04, he was not picked even for India 'A'. Just the previous season, Muzumdar had a miserable season, scoring only 173 in seven matches. He recalled that miserable season. “That season taught me a lot. I did not make runs for Mumbai, it was a wake-up call for me. I did not have a clue when my next run would come. Never before did I think that I would not score runs. I went into a shell. I almost gave up cricket in 2003. I had packed my bags but had by then signed a contract to play in England.

“My dad advised me that since I have committed to someone, I keep up the promise. In England, I found a way out. When I was a kid, I used to hit a hanging ball 500 times a day. But when I started playing for Mumbai, I never bothered to do that. Before going to England that year, my dad had slipped in a hanging ball in my bag. I would hit it 400 to 500 times in a day for over five months. The passion starting coming back. In the next three seasons (2003-04, 04-05, 05-06), I scored a lot of runs for Mumbai.”

Mumbai is very close to Muzumdar's heart and which he served devotedly. But his doors in Mumbai cricket shut after 2008-09 season when he averaged only 27.61. “I always thought I could offer something more to the states, Assam and Andhra that were in the Plate group. The first season I went to Assam, they qualified for Super League,” Muzumdar proudly said.

Muzumdar revealed his disappointment at not being considered for Indian Premier League in the initial years. “I'd be lying if I did not say I was not disappointed when not given a break when IPL started. I was leading Mumbai at that time. Like the India disappointment, I handled this disappointment with the same mindset. I had different set of goals that I wanted to achieve. You cannot look back. You have stay in the present and look ahead. That's how I have played all my 21 years of first-class cricket,” he said.

Muzumdar rated Ravi Shastri as the finest captain he played under. It was Shastri who captained Muzumdar when he made his debut in 1993-94, the year Mumbai won the title. “Shastri's presence was enough. He was a great leader of youngsters. His presence of mind was fantastic, very encouraging. In my first year, we were all youngsters. Myself, Samir (Dighe), Jatin (Paranjape) among others. His presence in the dressing room and on the field was amazing. He inspires us so much that I still remember the team meeting on the eve of the final against Bengal. We were all charged up to play then and there. Unfortunately, there was a night that we had to wait for. I still remember that meeting and you can imagine the impact of it.”

Muzumdar thanked a few people who have helped him along the way. He visited his coach Ramakant Achrekar at the latter's residence earlier in the day. “Without Achrekar sir, I would not have been sitting here. I met him this morning (Thursday) and though he did not say much, he smiled and that meant he was happy,” Muzumdar said.

“I also want to thank the BCCI for having given me the opportunity to showcase my talent, the Mumbai Cricket Association for giving me the platform to build my career, my father who pushed me at six to watch his local matches, Babu Nadkarni of MB Union for having given me a chance to play in second division cricket in my very first year and lastly, my mother, wife and daughter who have been pillars of my life. They were just there for me and without them I would not have been able to manage cricket for more than two decades.”
guru.krishnan@dnaindia.net

Amol Muzumdar in figures (first-class):
M: 171
I: 260
NO: 28
Runs: 11,167
HS: 260
Ave: 48.13
100s: 30
50s: 60