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India’s historic triumph in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup marks a defining moment for women’s cricket, founded on belief, resilience, and a strong team culture. Indian women’s cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar, on JioStar’s special show ‘Celebrating Champions’, reflected on the journey leading to victory, the legacy of the pioneering players, and the transformative impact of the WPL on the team’s depth and confidence. What Did Amol Muzumdar Say? Honouring the legacy of Indian women’s cricket, Head Coach Amol Muzumdar reflected on the team’s deep sense of gratitude and respect for those who paved the way. “I truly enjoyed watching Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and all our players take the trophy around the boundary to their seniors who helped build women’s cricket. We must respect our history to secure our future. Full credit goes to pioneers like Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Reema Malhotra and all the seniors from their era, hats off to them for laying the foundation for this success in the Women’s World Cup,” Amol Muzumdar was quoted as saying on JioStar’s ‘Celebrating Champions’. Acknowledging the administrative revolution behind India’s rise, Muzumdar praised the BCCI for its progressive vision and structural reforms. “The BCCI’s work for women’s cricket in the last three years has been phenomenal. While they took over in 2006, the recent changes have been revolutionary. We’ve had three WPL editions that uncovered tremendous talent for us to develop. The pay parity introduced in 2022 was another landmark decision. Credit to BCCI for these wonderful initiatives that are now showing results in our World Cup victory.” Reflecting on a crucial internal moment during the World Cup, Muzumdar revealed how an honest team conversation turned their campaign around. “After three consecutive losses against Australia, South Africa and England in the group stage, we had a very honest team meeting. I felt we needed a blunt conversation where no barriers existed, and I’m glad the players responded positively. Though the scoreboard showed losses to South Africa, Australia, and England, we knew internally that we were playing well but failing to finish games. That realisation became our turning point in the tournament.” Sharing insights into the team’s mental discipline, Muzumdar explained how focus and emotional balance after the semi-final proved vital for success. “All our hard work over the past two years wasn’t just for winning the semi-final against Australia on October 30th, it was meant for playing in the final of the world cup on November 2nd, 2025. If we had stayed in that euphoria after beating Australia, we might not have reached our ultimate goal. I wanted the team to leave that celebration behind and stay focused on the present moment. That approach made November 2nd truly special when we finally achieved our dream of lifting the Women’s World Cup trophy.” Discussing the WPL’s transformative effect, Muzumdar highlighted how the league has become a launchpad for the next generation of women cricketers. “Shree Charani and Kranti Goud are perfect examples of WPL’s success. We identified them during the February tournament, and by May they were playing international cricket. This shows how WPL accelerates player development. In the next four-five years, we’ll see many more talented women cricketers emerging through WPL and domestic tournaments, strengthening Indian cricket tremendously.” Finally, reflecting on his personal journey, Muzumdar expressed pride and gratitude for leading a team that realised a long-cherished dream. “I first visited the National Cricket Academy in November 2023 and met the Indian team for the first time. From that day, our journey began with one clear goal; to become the world’s best team. We made some necessary changes in the support staff, team composition, and most importantly, in our mindset. All these efforts have now culminated in this World Cup victory. It has been absolutely magical working with these talented players, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of players and human beings.”
