Amol Muzumdar's FC Stats -
Code:
Season Matches Inns Not Out Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
[B]1993-94 (India) 3 4 1 494 260 164.66 2 2 1
1994-95 (India) 15 25 4 1068 220 50.85 2 9 18
1995-96 (India) 10 16 1 788 209 52.53 2 4 12
1996-97 (India) 12 16 2 942 214* 67.28 4 2 16 [/B]
1997-98 (India) 13 19 2 788 113 46.35 1 5 15
1998-99 (India) 4 7 2 242 74 48.40 0 3 4
1999-00 (India) 13 20 4 814 131 50.87 1 6 18
2000-01 (India) 7 11 0 305 81 27.72 0 2 13
2001-02 (India) 6 10 2 437 133 54.62 1 2 4
2002-03 (India) 7 10 0 173 37 17.30 0 0 6
[B]2003-04 (India) 9 12 1 643 146 58.45 2 4 3
2004-05 (India) 10 15 1 669 131 47.78 3 3 12
2005-06 (India) 8 12 2 672 123 67.20 2 4 8[/B]
2006-07 (India) 10 15 0 650 119 43.33 2 4 10
2007-08 (India) 8 13 3 514 187 51.40 1 3 5
008-09 (India) 9 14 1 359 113 27.61 1 2 4
Muzumdar was a bright young talent who had a very promising start to his career. He carried with him a lot of
media hype and buzz early into his long career. He never went on to represent India though. What went wrong?
Some felt that he should have been given a chance in 1994-1996. He really had no chance once Dravid and Ganguly made their spectacular debuts. He never had a chance after that for a fair few years. Hell Laxman didn't get a chance in the middle order and had to try his luck as an opener.
It is not certain that he would have succeeded in those formative years but then who is sure at that stage any way. Isn't it how many of the young stars of India are given a chance. I mean Kambli had already faded out by the time he was 23-25. Look at Parthiv Patel. 1994-96 is the period Muzumdar really missed out on. He could have broken into the team when we were playing the likes of Manjrekar who was never going to fulfill his own promise but that's another story - I never rated Manjrekar very highly - great to watch from a technical view point but lack of attacking strokes which you need in your repertoire and a lack of imagination if you will.
Muzumdar's next chance was late in his career. Some thought that he could do a Hussey encore. Muzumdar had form going for him at was his last flicker before the dark end of the tunnel. In India, you get chances when you are wearing nappies in your teens. Any one above 27-28 is considered a has been sadly.
Should Muzumdar have been given a chance?
I don't think so. I didn't rate him from whatever I have watched of him. He lacks the spark you have in a special player whether it be a Dravid or a Laxman which makes them stand up against the rest. He is not solid enough though he is fluent in his stroke play.
If you really wonder still, just look at his FC average which is below 50. On Indian Flat Beds, that's criminal. I mean Abhijit Kale had a FC average of 57-58 but he never got a chance. There are a lot of players who average very highly in Indian Domestic FC cricket but are never given a look in. You have to break the doors down triple hundred after triple hundred, big score after big score if you want to get noticed in the masala that is a 30 team structure. VVS Laxman went through a turbulent time in his career but that didn't stop him from making a statement in FC cricket till the selectors had no choice but to pick him.
That's they key - you have to perform like hell, grab headlines with big scores till the selectors have no choice but to pick you. Tendulkar did it best with domestic FC centuries in his Irani, Ranji and Duleep Trophy debuts catching every one by a storm. Ganguly had to wait 4 years for his chance after 1992 and that was also just one test at Lord's. Kambli never got a look back into test cricket despite performing well in FC cricket for a while (Bevan would be the prime example of players never getting a second chance - Bevan was great in his FC cricket after he was dropped but the selectors never gave him a look in.) An average of 50 or just below that shows that you haven't been consistent enough for long enough to try and break open those doors for you.
