Jaffer appointed Uttarakhand coach, wants to develop winning culture

Confirming his appointment to IANS, Jaffer on Tuesday said: “Yes, I have been appointed the head coach of the Uttarakhand for a period of one year.”

Jaffer had called an end to his 24-year career as a professional cricketer on March 7 earlier this year. A veteran of 260 first-class games, Jaffer also played 31 Test matches and two ODIs for India. Having started off with Mumbai, the opener had moved to Vidarbha before the 2015-16 season.

Playing for Vidarbha, while Jaffer became the first player to play in 150 Ranji Trophy games in 2019, he also had a brilliant run in the 2018-19 season, scoring 1037 runs at an average of 69.13 with four hundreds and a highest score of 206.

“I am very happy and excited as this will be my first stint as head coach of a team,” said the domestic stalwart.

“I will try and make a difference out there in the lives and careers of the players. Would make sure that the team and the players improve.

“According to me, winning is everything. So, I will try and bring that winning culture within the team so that they can perform better in the upcoming seasons,” he added.

There’s a growing uncertainty over the start of the domestic season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 42-year-old seems optimistic about seeing some domestic cricket action this year.

“I don’t think it will start on time but I am sure it will start at some point. No one can really predict about the time frame at this moment.

“But I am hopeful we will see domestic cricket taking place this year,” he said.

–IANS<br>aak/bbh