India coach Muzumdar wants World Cup-winning confidence for Champions Trophy

New Delhi: India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said he wants his team to carry the strong belief that helped them win the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup into the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held next year.

The six-team tournament is scheduled to take place from February 14 to 28, 2027, with Vadodara and Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium set to host the matches. The inaugural edition of the competition will begin a week after the Women’s Premier League (WPL) final, scheduled to be held at the Brabourne Stadium on February 7.

“I think we learned a lot in that tournament. The pendulum swung one way initially, before shifting in our favour. So, I think it was a combination of the amazing talent these girls have, the preparation we put in, and a collective effort.

“Apart from these three, the fourth one I would like to add is the strong belief we had in that competition that culminated in winning the World Cup. I think I would like to take that into 2027,” Muzumdar told JioStar.

He also revealed that he had absolutely no idea what he would tell his players during the team huddle before the ODI World Cup final against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. India won the final by 52 runs to claim their maiden title.

Muzumdar said he eventually spoke from the heart, particularly as the rain-affected morning at the venue had left his mind racing.

“Generally, I know what I’m going to speak. Even in team meetings, sometimes, I know exactly what I’m going to say. That day, I had no clue what I was going to say because it was so busy in the morning.

“As I said, I had to go to the ground, and it was raining. My mind was working overtime. So, I had no clue. Even when we went to the ground, it was raining, so I was trying to feel the pitch and assess the conditions to decide whether to bat or bowl first. There were a lot of things on my mind.

“Suddenly, somebody, Harsha, I think our trainer, came up and said, ‘It’s huddle time.’ I got a little nervous and thought, ‘What am I going to speak?’ Then I just looked at the crowd and said, ‘Let me speak what I feel like at that moment.'”

Whatever he said during that huddle worked. India went on to lift the coveted title, and Muzumdar now hopes for a similar outcome at the Women’s Champions Trophy at home in February 2027.