Former Indian cricketer and domestic circuit great, Wasim Jaffer has been appointed as the head coach of the Uttarakhand state cricket team by the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) on Monday.
The announcement came after a telephonic interview with the 42-year-old right-handed batsman conducted by the CAU secretary Mahim Verma. Jaffer had announced retirement from all forms of cricket in March this year and his appointment marks his first-ever stint as the coach of a domestic cricket team.
Jaffer has been a prolific scorer in the domestic circuit as he played for Mumbai and Vidharbha in his illustrious career and setting numerous batting records. He also led Mumbai to its 38th and 39th Ranji trophy title and also played crucial knocks in scripting those historical victories.
Due to his elegant batting and leadership skills, his appointment comes at an immediate effect, and he will join the camp as soon as the training guidelines are issued by the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand.
Wasim Jaffer is considered the batting stalwart in the domestic circuit as he holds the record for scoring the most number of runs in the Ranji Trophy with a staggering 12,038 runs to his name and is also the first player to appear in 150 Ranji Trophy matches. Besides, Jaffer has also played 23 Tests and two ODI matches for India.
Uttarakhand played its first Ranji Trophy match in 2018 under the coach K. Bhaskar Pillai. Even Jaffer is excited to join the Uttarakhand as soon as they start training as he was quoted as saying to the Sportstar, “I am quite excited with the new role. I am looking forward to the challenge.”
The experience which he has would definitely help the Uttarakhand state team in the domestic circuit.