Amol Muzumdar appointed Rajasthan Royals batting coach for IPL 2018

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Royals today announced the appointment of former domestic cricket stalwart Amol Muzumdar as their batting coach ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League season.

The Royals said Muzumdar would bring with him immense experience and quality needed to help young and established names fine-tune their batting skills.

He, along with Head of Cricket Zubin Bharucha and bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, will oversee Rajasthan Royals' first camp here from March 13 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the IPL side said in a release.

The camp is meant for all the Indian players who are looking to get into the groove and get fully geared up for the hectic season ahead.

The focus of the camp will be on role specification sessions, team building exercises, besides other cricketing skills.

"We are proud to have Amol Muzumdar on board as the team's batting coach. His record on domestic circuit speaks for his greatness. The young batsmen will get so much to learn from him and develop their skills. Amol and Sairaj both bring skill, experience and vehemence that will surely drive the energy of the team in the right direction," said Bharucha.

Muzumdar said he was honoured to be part of Rajasthan Royals and was eager to work with the players.

A Royal welcome to @amolmuzumdar11, our new batting coach!

With a stellar domestic career, this record breaking first-class debutant has a lot to pass on to the #RoyalSquad!https://t.co/aFKXZpybdn

Welcome to the family!#HallaBol #Cricket #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/tVmEp6qujL

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 13, 2018

"These are exciting times for a batsman. T20 has completely changed the contours of the game. The skill-sets are different, the game is more happening. There is never a dull moment. As a coach one has to constantly innovate and adapt while guiding the youngsters acquire new batting skills and keeping the basics of the game intact at the same time. It is a role I am excited about," said Muzumdar.

In a long domestic career spanning two decades, Muzumdar has broken several records and played innings of high quality that has made him a standout player.

He made a sensational first-class debut for Mumbai.

Playing the pre-quarterfinal against Haryana, Muzumdar racked up 260, setting a world record for the highest first-class score on debut.

He was immediately hailed as the next sensation of Indian cricket.

In 171 first class matches, Muzumdar has scored a staggering 11,167 runs at an average of 48.13 runs with 30 hundreds and 60 half centuries.

He has also captained Mumbai to Ranji Trophy title.

Muzumdar holds second position, behind teammate Wasim Jaffer, in the list of all-time run scorers in Ranji Trophy with 9,202 runs.

After serving Mumbai cricket, he played for Assam and Andhra, helping budding players along the way.

Unfortunately, despite the runs, the hunger and skills at his disposal, Muzumdar never made it to the national side.