Former India wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra was on Wednesday named as a member of India men’s team selection committee by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). He replaced Salil Ankola at the position.
Ratra will work under the chief selector Ajit Agarkar and will join the other members of the committee, including, Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, and Sridharan Sharath.
“As a selector, Mr. Ratra will work alongside the existing members of the selection committee to identify and support the next generation of cricketers who will represent India on the global stage,” a BCCI release stated.
“His insights will be instrumental to the committee in ensuring that the best talent is identified, nurtured, and given the opportunity to excel at the highest level,” it added.
Ratra was previously deployed as a part of the Indian coaching staff during the One-Day International (ODI) series in South Africa in 2023. He has also worked as the Head Coach of Assam, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
He represented India in six Tests, and 12 ODIs, after making his debut in 2002. The wicket-keeper batter featured in over 90 First Class matches, scoring close to 4000 runs and securing over 240 dismissals for Haryana.
One of his finest knocks of an unbeaten 115 came against the West Indies in 2002-03 when he became the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test century. He was also the second Indian to do so in an overseas series.
