Amol Muzumdar, former Indian cricketer, right hand batsman born on 11th November 1974. He had played first-class cricket from 1993-94 to 2008-09 for Mumbai and from 2009-10 to 2013-14 for Assam and Andhra. He announced the retirement from all forms of cricket in India on 25th September 2014. Here is the Amol Muzumdar, debut into cricket and why he did not played in the national team , Retirement from cricket etc.

1988 Inter-School Harris Shield Tournament:

All Indian cricket fans are aware of the 664 run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli during the 1988 inter-school Harris Shield tournament. The match in question eroded Shardashram Vidya Mandir against St. Xavier’s in the semifinals. Tendulkar went on to win the highest laurels in the game of cricket, while Kambli had his moment of fame before fading away. The next batsman slotted to come in this game was the 13-year-old Amol Muzumdar, who had put his pads on since the fall of the first wicket, a very few know. Unfortunately for him Kambli and Tendulkar remained unbeaten and the innings was declared. This wait is perhaps symbolic of the never-ending wait of the talented Mumbaikar to break into the national team, something he never managed to achieve.

Record Breaking in First-Class cricket ( Ranji Trophy) Debut:

Amol Muzumdar broke the world-record for the highest individual score on First-Class debut as he finished the day unbeaten on 245 for Mumbai against Haryana in a Ranji Trophy Pre-Quarter Final. Muzumdar went on to make 260, a knock that helped Mumbai win the game comfortably, which till then was held by Transvaal’s W. F. E. Marx, who made 240 against Griqualand West in Johannesburg in 1920-21. Muzumdar’s record stands till today. After this record he was called as a Next Sachin Tendulkar and became wise captain of India Under-19 squad.

Domination of Big 4:

In the same era another three batsman Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman came into the cricket for playing in the middle order. In 1995 England A tour where 5 unofficial Test series and 3 one day games were held and selectors got an opportunity to watch the game of Rahul Dravid and Amol Muzumdar. But, Muzumdar had lost the contest against Dravid. In the same Ganguly made remarkable series.

The 1996 tour of England was a crucial one for these young guns, with two stalwarts looking set to exit the Indian Test arena – Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sanjay Manjrekar. The 1995-96 Duleep Trophy was the most likely feeding ground for these replacements, and the stage was set for four talented batsmen Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Amol Muzumdar, to prove their worth to the selectors. Laxman topped the batting charts, with 395 runs, and was followed by Dravid with 353 runs. Muzumdar was not far behind, on 4th position, with 333 runs, including an imperious double century against North Zone. Ganguly rounded off the quartet, finishing 6th with 308 runs.

Muzumdar made a very strong case for a call up to the national team, but Indian middle-order then boasted of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. The man did no wrong, but for the fact that he was at his peak in an era dominated by the ‘Big 4’ in Indian cricket. Muzumdar though leaves behind a proud record in Ranji cricket and joins the pantheon of Mumbai batting legends.

Records in Ranji Trophy:

Muzumdar continues to play first-class cricket, but his dream of representing the country at the highest level is not likely to be realized. With more than 9200 runs, he is the second highest run scorer of all-time in the Ranji Trophy, just behind his former Mumbai teammate Wasim Jaffer. He is the man who never had outings with family or friends, and did not even celebrate his birthdays – continued piling runs for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. Between 1993-94 and 2002-03, he scored 6051 runs in 90 matches at an average of more than 50.

Retirement of Muzumdar:

Amol Muzumdar retierd from all forms of cricket in India on 25th September 2014. 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 when he announced the retirement.

Tweets of VVS and Sachin Tendulkar :

His story may be forgotten as one among several talented sportsmen, who failed to breakthrough at the highest level in their individual sport, but he does deserve a silent applause for sheer commitment to the game for more than two decades.