Interview with Amol Muzumdar: I reached a point where getting picked for India didn't matter

Earlier this season, Amol Muzumdar rewrote Wasim Jaffer’s record of being the highest run maker in Ranji Trophy. He got past 11,070 runs this season after power-packed centuries in back-to-back innings against Himachal Pradesh. The former Mumbai captain is currently playing for Andhra and has also become the highest century-maker of this season.

In a free-wheeling conversation with Sportskeeda, he talks about his two-decade long career and his energy to stay on for longer…

You are one such cricketer who has had an illustrious career in domestic cricket…

Yes. It’s been two decades since I started playing first class cricket. That’s a lot of time and it’s been extremely satisfying.

Over these two decades, what has changed in terms of players’ commitment and game?

The game has certainly changed a lot. But frankly speaking, the technique has gone down. It may seem surprising that when a youngster is asked about his stroke-play etc, he would just say, ‘this is how I play and I will be successful playing the same way.’ Maybe 4 out of 7 innings they might click, but that’s not enough. One needs to instil technique from one’s younger days.

However, fielding standards have surely gone up. They are more athletic and pay attention to their gym sessions etc. The flip side to it is that they are also getting injured at a faster pace. I didn’t know what a physio did until I was 27-28. Thankfully, I haven’t struggled with injuries but the youngsters are prone to injuries more often.

I think youngsters these days are over-dependent on NCA. I think the natural skill of a player needs to be groomed more than getting them to bowl in a certain way or run in a certain way.

What do you have to say about bowling in domestic cricket?

I think the most daunting task in domestic cricket now is finding quality spinners. It’s a hollow phase in domestic cricket at the moment. It is surprising BCCI hasn’t taken note of this or even if they have, they are not doing anything about it. It’s on a decline. Earlier, every team had a fabulous spinner, but that’s not the case now and it’s a problem.

Can you talk a little bit about your initial days in cricket?

I am really lucky to be born in that era. We knew nothing other than playing cricket all the time. I simply could not have anything on my mind but batting. No outings with friends, family functions, I don’t even remember celebrating my birthdays! Even to this day, I ask my wife if it’s necessary to attend the function. I was from the same team and batch as Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. What more could I ask for than watching Sachin play?

We are often debating about whether or not age matters in the sport…

Age doesn’t matter. I just have a clear mind and still field like a 23-year-old when I go out on the field. I am diving on the ground, I am not a liability.

You got your domestic career off to a great start. 260 unbeaten on your debut and you continued to perform consistently, yet never got a chance to play international cricket…

Honestly, while growing up it wasn’t about getting picked. It’s something that I learnt over time from my father and coach.

You know, there were 3 phases in my career:

1. Just getting runs without thinking of getting picked.

2. I was getting runs, I was getting a lot of runs but I was not getting picked. It was frustrating to the fact that I wanted to quit. But that’s when family and friends come into play and they made me stick to my base.

3. I had reached a point where it didn’t matter. It was all about doing your best and not getting picked was just exaggerated. I just learnt to be true to the game.