India’s loss to have not seen Amol Muzumdar play Test cricket, states Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri heaped praise on Amol Muzumdar
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Ravi Shastri heaped praise on Amol Muzumdar, one of the greatest Mumbai batsmen of all time, and attested that it was a loss for Indian cricket to have not seen the right-hander don the whites. Despite amassing over 11,000 first-class runs, Muzumdar ended his career without playing a single Test.
A gritty craftsman who loved the art of batting like no one else, Amol Muzumdar created a ripple in Indian cricket with his performances in domestic cricket. After making his debut for Mumbai at just the age of 19, the right-hander, in a first-class career that spanned 20 years, went on to score 11,167 first-class runs, hitting thirty tons whilst averaging over 48. In fact, with 9,202 runs to his name, Muzumdar is the second highest run-getter in the history of the Ranji Trophy.
However, the right-hander tragically never got an opportunity to play for the Indian national team despite his sublime record and ended his career with no caps to his name, despite having featured in 171 first-class matches.
And adding to the general notion of Muzumdar being extremely unlucky to have not played for the national side, team India’s head coach Ravi Shastri, on Friday, tweeted that it was India’s loss that the right-hander never went on to play Test cricket for the country. In fact, Shastri, whose last first-class appearance came in the 1993/94 season, recalled that Muzumdar, Mumbai’s prodigal son back in the day, made his debut in the same match as him.
With one of #RanjiTrophy giants - @amolmuzumdar11. My last season was his first. I still believe it was #TeamIndia’s loss to not see him in whites. #GentleGiant #Mumbai @MumbaiCricAssoc pic.twitter.com/vf5IAHd6Ol
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) May 22, 2020
After a long and successful stint with Mumbai, Muzumdar then moved to Assam, before finishing his domestic career with the Andhra side. The right-hander called time on his playing career in 2013, after which he has prominently featured in the commentary box for domestic cricket matches. Recently, Muzumdar was appointed as South Africa’s temporary batting consultant prior to their tour of India in 2019, to help the Proteas batsmen combat the threat of the Indian spinners.
