The Women’s World Cup triumph of India will go down as one of the most iconic moments in the nation’s cricketing history. The title victory, under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur and ably supported by final match hero Deepti Sharma, has etched the name of the team in golden letters as celebrations erupted in the hometowns of the players. While the stars on the field took rightful center stage, a fair amount of credit needs to be given to head coach Amol Muzumdar, whose calm guidance and motivational leadership proved instrumental in India’s title run.
Known for his understated yet impactful approach, Muzumdar played a crucial role in inspiring the team when it mattered most. One such moment that has since turned memorable was his rousing pre-final team talk, drawing upon Shah Rukh Khan’s Chak De! India ” speech to ignite belief and determination in the dressing room.
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In response to a conversation shared by the BCCI, Muzumdar looked back at that moment and said that his speech was not one which he had prepared previously. The impromptu message seemed to have hit just the right notes – India started on fire in the final, with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana adding 104 for the opening wicket, as the side looked to dominate.
“As you know me, I am not about dramatics. What comes out is very honest, and I speak from my heart. I don’t know where the parallels (with the Chak de India speech) have come from. But I use my phone, so I see those things, coming through,” said the Indian coach.
Muzumdar added that the magnitude of the occasion made it difficult for him to find words for his speech, and therefore, he simply chose to speak from the heart trusting honesty and emotion to connect with his players and push them toward glory.
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“If there are parallels, there are parallels. I can’t help it. Yeah, regarding the motivational speeches, until the semifinal one, I always knew what I was going to speak in the huddle,” he continued. “I always knew that I would speak this to the players so that they get charged up, so that they set the tone right, right at the start of the huddle. And that’s where the energy flows from, the huddle.”
“But in the finals, the seven hours thing, it was an absolutely impromptu one. I didn’t know what I was going to speak about, and that time I just tapped on my own shoulder and said, speak about what you feel like over there,” concluded Muzumdar
