The Delhi Capitals have appointed former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Ajay Ratra as their assistant coach for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
The stint will be the first for Ratra in the league, but he has the experience of coaching sides at different levels. He was with the Assam team in the last edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy concluded earlier this year.
He will work in tandem with Ricky Ponting, Mohammad Kaif, Pravin Amre and James Hopes to help Capitals in pursuit of their maiden title triumph in IPL.
Ratra, an Indian veteran, has played 6 Tests and 12 ODIs in his career. He made a record for being the youngest batsman to hit a Test century and only the second batsman who kept wickets to have a three-figure mark on an overseas tour with an innings of 115 against West Indies in 2002.
He shared his excitement about joining the highly-talented side of the Capitals in the announcement statement released by the franchise on Sunday.
“I am honoured to join Delhi Capitals as Assistant Coach. This is a very exciting team to work with, abundant with talent. I can't wait to meet the team and contribute to its success. I am grateful to the Delhi Capitals management for giving me this wonderful opportunity,” Ratra said.
The 14th edition of the IPL will begin on April 09 in Chennai while the Capitals will start their campaign against the Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai the next day.